Amourshipping and the Beanstalk
by HAKDurbin
Summary: It's been two years since Queen Serena suddenly disappeared and has been presumed dead and the kingdom of Kalos is in ruin without her. Ash has been living in a small cottage with Brock, Iris, and her son, Maynor trying to keep food on the table. One day, Ash is sent to sell the cow for money until he meets a mysterious man who convinces him to sell the cow to him for magic beans.
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1

"ASH! ASH, YOU LAZY BUM! IT'S TIME TO GET UP!"

Ash springs out of bed awake. He checks his surroundings and remembers that he is in a small wooden bed in a small worn out cottage. He turns his head to see Iris, a dark-skinned woman with a long lock of purple hair standing next to his bed with an annoyed expression on her face. She is wearing farming clothes and is carrying a thirteen-month-old child with dark skin and green hair on her left arm.

"Well, it's about time you woke up," Iris rebukes. "It's past 7 o'clock and you need to get going on your chores if you want breakfast."

Ash groans as he reluctantly gets up. Iris glares daggers at him while he puts on his own farming clothes. Then she turns around to face the bed next to Ash's where a tall, tan-skinned man named Brock is snoring loudly.

"You too, Brock," she barks as she kicks the bed. "This is no bed and breakfast. There's work to be done."

Brock moans and says, "Alright, Iris, alright. I'm up,"

"Good," Iris bellows. "Now you two better check on the fishing nets and get some milk from Whitey. I don't want my Maynor to spend the day hungry again."

The dark-skinned, green-haired baby named Maynor cooes and whimpers as his mother carries him. Brock sighs as he knows how important it is to feed the child and gives Iris a confident smile.

"Don't worry, Iris," Brock says as he gets dressed. "Whitey just needed a good night sleep. She should be giving us more than enough milk to feed Maynor five times over."

Iris frowns menacingly.

"She had better if you want a bite to eat," she growls. "Now get going, both of you."

"Yes, ma'am," Brock and Ash say simultaneously as they quickly leave their room and walk downstairs to exit the cottage.

Ash and Brock both take deep breaths through their noses to get a whiff of the morning hair. They smile contently before they walk over to a small barn where a scrawny, spotless cow is slowly waking up.

"Morning, Whitey," Ash greets as he grabs a bucket and places it under the cow. "Iris expects a lot of milk today, so don't let us down."

The cow named Whitey merely moos glumly. Brock finds a stool, sets it next to Whitey and sits down before he starts squeezing her teats. Ash watches intently as Brock tries to get some milk from the cow only for nothing to come out. After a minute, Brock stops and looks at Ash with a nervous look.

"I thought you said she just needed some rest," Ash says concerned.

"So did I," Brock says scratching the back of his head. "That seemed to do the trick the last time she was having a dry spell."

Ash frowns as Brock starts squeezing Whitey's teats again, acting more determined than ever to see milk filling up the bucket.

"Come on, Whitey," Brock pleads. "Give us some milk before Iris throws a fit."

Ash shivers at the idea as Brock keeps on trying.

"Should I go ahead and check on the fishing nets while you try to get milk?" he asks.

"Yeah, go ahead," Brock says not looking at Ash as the shorter man exits the barn.

Ash walks down the hill to a river about half a mile through the woods where a couple of fish nets are placed under the water and tied down to a tree. Ash looks down to find a fish trapped in each net and smiles as he takes out one of the nets, holds one of the fish tightly and hits it multiple times against a nearby rock until the fish is killed. Ash stares at it to make sure that it is dead before putting the net on the grass and grabs the next net.

Unfortunately, the second fish is ready for him. As soon as Ash takes it out of the water, the fish starts struggling violently. Ash tries to grab it, but the fish is slippery and out of control. Eventually, the fish struggles so much that it breaks the net and falls back into the river and swims away. Ash groans frustrated before he turns to the other netted fish, unties the net from the tree and walks back to the farm. Ash feels glum with only one fish to bring back as he makes it back to the property just in time to see Brock exit the farm with a look of defeat.

"No luck with Whitey?" Ash asks.

"No," Brock says sadly. "Barely got so much as a drop out of her. Iris is going to have my head for this. How about you? Any luck?"

Ash frowns as he shows Brock the fish inside the net and says, "I got this guy, but another one broke the second one just as I was getting it out of the water."

"Dang it, that's the seventh time. Now we only have one left," Brock says frustrated. "I knew they weren't going to last long given how old they were, but I hoped they had a little more time in them."

Ash sighs sadly and says, "Well, at least we captured this one."

Brock inspects the fish Ash successfully captured and sighs again.

"Yeah, but that one will hardly be enough to fill all three of our adult stomachs," Brock says. "Though at least it's more than enough to fill Maynor's little belly."

Ash nods in agreement before Brock continues.

"That said, it's not good that Whitey is not producing milk, and who knows if we'll ever be lucky enough to catch a fish again with just one net," Brock says before he sighs glumly. "I really hate to say it, Ash, but it looks like we're going to be starving pretty soon."

Ash frowns sadly as his mind dwells into the possibility that he, Brock, Iris, and Maynor might starve to death. He drops the net containing the dead fish and walks away with his head hung low. Brock watches his friend walk away and sighs before he picks up the fish and follows him knowing where he is going. Brock follows Ash to the other side of the hill which is filled with green pastures until the short, raven-haired man stops at a hill where he can see far beyond the countryside of Kalos.

At the center of the view, there is Lumiose City: a large city with many of its buildings worn down or boarded up as many of its residents have left the country. The people that remain glumly go about their business at the city market struggling to make any sales or to keep any stands running as everyone is down-on-their-luck and barely able to purchase a scrap of food if any at all.

But Ash and Brock have their eyes on what is behind the city. For at the north side, there is a giant crater neatly made and over 20 feet deep. The two men continue to stare at the crater until tears begin to run down Ash's eyes. Brock barely manages to keep himself from sniffing as he pats his friend on the back.

"It's just not fair, Brock," Ash whimpers.

"I know, Ash," Brock says, trying to stay strong for both of them.

Ash feels tears run down his face, but he doesn't care. His mind drifts to the day that the crater was made; when the city was filled with happy people who flourished without a care, Brock was an engaged man, Iris was living blissfully with Maynor's father and Ash himself was happy as an esquire of Kalos.

Back when people would proudly cheer for her.

 _"LONG LIVE THE QUEEN! GOD BLESS THE QUEEN! HAIL TO THE QUEEN! LORD BLESS THE QUEEN!"_

 _Ash smiles fondly as he hears the citizens of Kalos praise their ruler through the castle walls. In the three years since the queen has taken her father's throne after he passed away, her precious citizens have been living joyfully and prosperously. The young esquire feels a strong sense of pride as he walks down the halls to meet the monarch that the people love so dearly._

 _As he makes his way to the great hall, he finds three people walking the same path. One is Brock covered in armor and a sword on his belt, the second person is a tall man with light skin, green hair and wearing minstrel clothes, and finally Iris walking next to the green-haired man wearing a handmaiden dress._

 _"Well, there you are, Esquire Ash," Brock says with a smirk. "Where have you been? The queen's about to make her announcement very soon."_

 _"Sorry, Captain Brock," Ash says with a salute. "I had trouble making my way back inside the castle with so many people flooding the courtyard for the festival."_

 _Indeed, for the last 3 years, the people have grown to love their queen so much that they have all decided to hold a festival in the castle courtyard on her birthday every year. Even her royal guards and her castle staff have pinched in on this joyous occasion. The queen has always been humble yet thankful to her subjects for doing this on her birthday and by the third year of her reign, it has become an annual tradition in the kingdom of Kalos. However, word has spread throughout Lumiose Castle that the queen herself will be making a special announcement halfway through the festivities and everyone is eager to find out what she has to say._

 _"Typical excuse from you, Ash," Iris rebukes with her arms crossed and a smirk on her face. "You probably got distracted again from hearing the people praise our queen so fondly. You're just too proud of what she has become because of your infatuated feelings for her, you incompetent child."_

 _Ash blushes lightly and scratches the back of his head. It is no secret that he has had feelings for the queen and while the queen herself hasn't said anything, she has shown a special amount of fondness to the esquire since they became friends in their preteens._

 _"Now, now, Iris, my beloved," the green-haired man says as he wraps his arm around the handmaiden with a loving look. "There is nothing wrong with such infatuation. Indeed, his is a growing love that might one day make the sun and moon stand still every day and night to witness his chemistry with our queen and the mountains will face Lumiose Castle eager to watch their connection grow stronger with each passing day."_

 _Iris rolls his eyes before giving the green-haired man an unamused glare._

 _"Cilan, only you could say such silly, lovey-dovey words that remind me what I got myself into when I married a minstrel," she says._

 _"Oh hush, darling. I know you love it when I say such words with or without my music," Cilan claims with a smug look._

 _Iris keeps glaring at the minstrel before she lets up and smiles before giving him a brief but tender peck on the cheek._

 _"True," she says plainly as she tightly hugs her husband's arm as if it is Cilan himself._

 _"Alright, lovebirds, knock it off," Brock says. "Time's a wasting. The Queen will make her announcement without us if we don't hurry."_

 _"Oh hush up, Brock," Iris says to the captain with a wave of her hand. "You_ can't fool _me. You're just saying that so that you can see your fiance."_

 _Brock blushes and has a goofy look on his face as he thinks about the queen's head handmaiden and his fiance, Holly. The captain and the handmaiden have been crazy in love ever since the day they met two years ago. Holly was a foreigner from Sinnoh before she gained her citizenship in Kalos and began to work for the queen. It wasn't long before she and Brock met and they became lost in each other's eyes ever since. For four months now, they have been engaged and since then, neither of them have been able to contain their excitement whenever they are in the same room or not._

 _"Never mind about that," Cilan says. "Pointing fingers won't help us if we don't reach the main hall."_

 _"Cilan is right," Ash says. "Let's get to there fast."_

 _The four of them begin running down the halls, barely making it to the main hall in time before a convoy of people consisting of trumpeters, bannermen, counselors_ and _handmaidens lead by Holly arrive from the main entrance. Ash, Brock, Cilan, and Iris run over to the other side of the hall which leads to a balcony. A tall, overweight old man with white hair and a long mustache turns to give Brock and Ash a hard glare._

 _"Captain, Esquire," he barks. "I thought I told you two to get here twenty minutes early."_

 _"Sorry, General Wulfric," Brock says as he and Ash salute. "We got held back."_

 _General Wulfric humphs in annoyance as he says, "Never mind why you took so long. Get into position. The queen is almost here."_

 _"Yes, sir," Brock and Ash say simultaneously as they follow the general to the end of the hall that leads to a balcony. General Wulfric says, "Alright, a ten-hut!" and he, Brock and Ash put their arms and legs close together while Cilan and Iris stand next to them in a respective stance. The bannermen and the trumpeters stop marching at the center of the hall and the handmaidens turn around and bow at the last person entering the hall, making Ash's heart leap._

 _Entering the hall is a tall, beautiful woman with honey blonde hair and ocean blue eyes wearing a golden crown, and a pink and golden dress. This is Queen Serena and her very presence makes everyone smile as she walks down the hall with a look of kindness and joy written all over her face. Ash struggles to keep his stance as his knees feel weak the closer she gets to him, Brock, General Wulfric, Cilan, and Iris. Unfortunately, as the woman makes it to the five of them before she enters the balcony, her eyes immediately turn to look at Ash's directly and her face glows as he walks over to Ash with a sweet look in her eyes making his body feel weaker._

 _"Ash, my beloved, faithful esquire," she says. "Thank you so much for coming here on my birthday."_

 _Ash blushes and makes a goofy grin that rivals Brock's much to the woman's amusement._

 _"I fear you give me too much credit, as usual, Queen Serena," he says humbly. "I am doing no more than my duty as your servant."_

 _Queen Serena pouts somewhat childishly at his reply._

 _"Ash, how many times must I tell you not to call me so formally?" she asks. "I may be a queen, but you of all people should never need to address me by my title."_

 _Ash chuckles nervously and says, "I'm sorry, Your Maje - I mean Serena. I shall aim to do better once more as always."_

 _Queen Serena smiles, satisfied with the answer._

 _"And once more I shall hold you to that, my knight-to-be," she says. "Regardless, I deeply value that you have come on this day of all days and I wish that you more than anyone take heart for what I have to say to our entire kingdom."_

 _Ash looks at her confused and asks, "Really? How come?"_

 _Queen Serena smiles and giggles cutely which makes Ash's heart grow numb._

 _"I'm afraid you're just going to have to stay by my side as ordered and wait, my dear esquire," she says while giving him a playful wink._

 _The raven-haired esquire's blush grows as the queen makes her way to the balcony. General Wulfric clears his throat and says, "Right, Captain, Esquire, turn left and follow!" Leaving Ash to recollect himself as he and Brock follow him to the balcony with Holly, following them and secretly stealing a big kiss from Captain Brock._

 _Ash's ears feel like his eardrums are about to explode as soon as he reaches the balcony. Tens of thousands of people flood the castle grounds where there are many stands for food, drink, and entertainment for all of the people of Kalos to enjoy as they celebrate their queen's birthday. Ash turns to see Queen Serena smiling brightly at the sound of the people cheering for her. After a while, she raises her hand for silence and the entire kingdom immediately becomes quiet before she clears her throat._

 _"My beloved subjects," she begins, "It gives me great pleasure to see you all so happy today. As surely as The Lord lives, I am truly humbled to have such loving and thankful citizens in our beautiful country."_

 _The people respond with another roar of applause before Queen Serena raises her hand_ for _silence again._

 _"With all that said, I have an announcement to make," the queen says. "For as proud as I am to rule single-handedly as your queen, I have decided that I wish to have a husband to spend the rest of my life with."_

 _Ash's eyes widen and he turns to Brock and General Wulfric who are equally surprised. They turn to Holly who looks just as baffled at the Queen's words as they are. The audience stares at the queen with intrigue, wondering if she is going to announce a jousting tournament or something of that nature to decide who shall marry her before she continues._

 _"I know that many of you are thinking that I'm going to announce something like a jousting tournament or invite a great band of suitors to come to me and try to woo me with words of praise and proclaimed love," Queen Serena says. "But let me state firmly that I wish none of those things. I have no desire for my heart to be won by games of chance like many women of royalty in the past and even those who still follow such customs in our allied kingdoms. For you see my heart is for me to give willingly and wholeheartedly as it should be for anyone, woman or man."_

 _Everyone looks at her just as baffled as before to hear her rebuke the royal traditions as she continues._

 _"Furthermore, the truth is I am already in love with someone," she says, earning a gasp from everyone. "This person is my other half in every way, but he does not realize he means this much to me. And yet, he is someone I know I would want by my side whether he is a prince as the law dictates I should marry, or a duke, or an earl, or an esquire, or even a blacksmith's apprentice. I love this man so much that I want to spend the rest of my life with him whether he is by my side as both my husband and co-ruler of Kalos or merely just my husband while I still rule alone. And to prove that he means so much to me, I am going to ask for his hand in marriage in front of all of you."_

 _Ash doesn't know whether or not to feel joyous or worried about this news. Even though his friends tease him, he cannot deny in his heart that he has grown to deeply love Queen Serena. Yet, even though he and the Queen have known each other since they were twelve-years-old, he has often doubted that she has ever felt the same way for him. So to hear that there is a man that she already wants to marry, he hopes that by some miracle it's him given that she said that she does not care what title this man she wishes to marry has. Even so, he knows that she also knows many people all over the kingdom of Kalos and beyond and there may be someone else that has captured the_ beautiful _queen's heart. General Wulfric clears his throat to help Ash keep his cool before Queen Serena puts her hand in her heart and looks at her subjects and gets ready to speak with an excited smile._

 _"People of Kalos, I would like -"_

 _Suddenly, the ground begins to rumble. Citizens down below panic as the very earth shakes. General Wulfric, Brock, Ash, Cilan, Iris, and Holly struggle to stay on their feet while Queen Serena holds on to the railing in alarm. The ground soon stops and everyone sighs in relief until the sky begins to darken until it looks like nighttime despite it being the middle of the day. Everyone looks at the sky in worry has Ash runs over to Queen Serena._

 _"Your Highness, are you alright?" he asks._

 _"I...I think so," the queen answers. "What happened?"_

 _But before Ash can answer her, a loud and evil cackle is heard from above the clouds and the people down below run in fear has chills of green and black lightning begin to strike around the castle. Ash, Queen Serena, Captain Wulfric, Brock, Holly, Cilan, and Iris stare at what's going on horrified before General Wulfric speaks._

 _"Your Highness, we need to go," he says. "We should get into_ lower _ground."_

 _"Yes, you're right," Serena says before turning to all the maidens, bannermen, and trumpeters who are cowering in fear. "Everyone evacuate the castle at once!"_

 _No one dares questions the Queen's orders as all of the castle staff begin running as fast as they can. Ash helps Queen Serena up and with General Wulfric leading, they begin making their way down to the lower levels of the castle with Brock, Holly, Iris, and Cilan. Loud thunder is heard all over the halls as people run as fast as they can._

 _Soon, everyone makes it to the ground level and exits the castle. Unfortunately, as they run through the castle grounds, one of the trees gets hit by lightning and starts tumbling toward the group. Ash, Brock, and Cilan realize that the falling tree is heading toward Queen Serena, Holly, and Iris and so Ash and Brock push the Queen and her head handmaiden away facing the castle while Cilan pushes Iris forward away from the castle. The tree crashes leaving Iris, Brock, and Ash separated from Cilan, Holly, Queen Serena, and General Wulfric. Before the queen, the general, the minstrel and the handmaiden can go around the tree, two more bolts of lightning strike right in front of them and the evil cackle roars from the sky again._

 _"I GOT YOU WHERE I WANT YOU, YOUR HIGHNESS!" a loud, female voice bellows from the sky._

 _Before anyone can ask what that voice meant, a large hole in the sky opens right above the castle, and a large, green flame flies straight down toward it. Queen Serena's eyes widen as she turns to Ash and stretches out her hand toward him despite the tree blocking them._

 _"ASH!" is all she says before the fire it's the ground and hits the castle and everything from the Queen's side of the tree barrier. Ash, Iris, and Brock move away to avoid getting burned as the giant green flame burns brightly on the spot before it suddenly lifts up from the ground and flies back up in the sky and disappears as instantly as it appeared. The evil cackle returns before the clouds suddenly break apart and the sun is allowed to shine again. Everyone gets up wondering what happened until they turn to face the castle and gasp in horror._

 _Ash stands up and walks over to where Queen Serena and her castle used to be only to find that from where the tree fell is a large crater covering the entire area of where the castle used to be. There is no one in the crater, no object or any ash from the fire. Just a semicircle hole right where the queen and her castle and Cilan, General Wulfric and Holly used to be._

 _Brock walks over to the crate next to Ash with his eyes full of shock._

 _"Holly?... Holly?... Holly, where are you?" He calls out fearfully._

 _Iris walks over to Ash and grabs him by the shoulder forcing him to look at her with a look of pure worry in her eyes._

 _"Ash... Ash, where is he? Where is my husband? Did he make it out?" she pleads._

 _Ash does nothing but_ stare _at her helplessly. The shock in his eyes is all Iris needs for an answer as she slowly let's go of his shoulder, turns to the crater it begins to let out a long and loud wail. Tears begin to run down her eyes as she cries out Cilan's name and at the same time, Brock begins to break down with his own tears as the reality of what happened to his beloved fiance sinks in._ Ash can _hear people behind him spreading the word of what has happened and before long everyone in the entire city begins to cry and weep loudly._

 _Eventually, Ash himself gets down on his hands and knees and fights the urge to cry bitterly for a moment before he breaks down. Tears cover his face as he grieves for General Wulfric, Holly, Cilan, and above all else Queen Serena._

 _There are no ruins, there is no ash, no bones or damaged tapestries to reveal that anyone or any place was ever standing before them._

 _Nothing._

Ash still feels tears running down his face as he finishes going through the memory in his mind. Brock is still rubbing his back as he thinks about that day too.

"To think that in a couple of months it will be two years since then," Brock says with a scoff. "Then again who is really counting?"

Ash chokes out a chuckle as he wipes away the tears in his eyes.

"It's a miracle that there are so many people still living in Kalos after that," he says.

"That's true," Brock says nodding. "With many of Queen Serena's officials gone, the economy has really collapsed. We're lucky that Iris has an uncle that allowed us to look after it before he sailed to Unova, but…"

"But even that's not saying much now," Ash finishes sadly.

"Right," Brock says with a sigh. "And Iris might not care so desperately about food on the table as much if she didn't have Maynor. But since she did…"

"Yeah, it seems like it was both a joy and a cruel curse that Cilan unknowingly got her pregnant before he died," Ash says. "Maynor's all she has left of her husband, but that still leaves us with one more mouth to worry about feeding."

Brock nods before the two men turn back to the crater. Silence fills the area for a few minutes before Ash looks up at the sky.

"Do you think there's any hope that they still could be alive?" He asks. "That they were just taken to some other world or something?"

Brock frowns at Ash disapprovingly.

"Ash, I know you want to believe that somehow there's hope that they're still alive. Lord knows nothing would make me happier than to find out Holly is alive and is just waiting for me to save her so that we can finally get married," he says. "That said, there is no such thing as magic."

"You don't know that," Ash says. "With the green lightning and fire and then that voice surely that was something magical happening."

"I told you, I don't know what I heard," Brock says. "And even if some magical spirit or something was out there abducting transporting them or something, there's no guarantee that they are still alive after two years and even if there is, there is no heaven forsaken way we can get there to save them."

"I know, but...but…" Ash protests before he sighs and Brock pats his back again.

"You wish you could have saved the queen," Brock says sympathetically.

"Yeah, I do," Ash admits. "I wish there was some way I could have known that the green fire would have come down in that spot and I would have tried to figure out a way to pull her toward me when that tree fell so she would have been saved from getting incinerated."

"There's no way you could have known, Ash," Brock says. "And there is no way you could have brought her to safety by pulling her toward the other side before the tree fell. Believe me, sometimes I wish I knew myself. Maybe I could have made the decision to run before General Wulfric did or perhaps I could have been on the same side as she was so we both would have died together. At least that way I wouldn't be feeling this emptiness without my Holly."

Ash nods and says, "And I had more time to gain the courage to tell her straight out how I felt, no, feel about her. How she means everything to me, how I wish I could have asked her on the level how she felt about me, and if she would ever consider the idea of asking for my hand in marriage even though I was nothing but a mere esquire. At least I wish I knew who she was going to propose to so that I knew whether or not she ever felt that way to me. Honestly, Brock, you're lucky that you knew how your woman felt about you."

"Luck has nothing to do with this, Ash," Brock says seriously. "They are all gone and we have to face what's going on right now, and right now we need to face the music with Iris."

Brock holds the net containing the fish close to Ash and the raven-haired man robotically takes it before Brock walks away heading for the cottage. Ash keeps his eyes on the crater as he thinks about what his friend just said. On the one hand, he thinks that Brock's logic makes sense and he should worry about what's going on now, and yet deep in his heart he wants to still believe that someway somehow the Queen of Kalos whom he loves deeply is still out there somewhere and just needs to be found so that she can bring her beloved kingdom back to its former glory. Even if she would go back to eventually marry another man, Ash would be happy as long as the queen would be safe and all of his other friends who fell victim at that day would be reunited with their loved ones.

"I miss you, Serena," he says sadly before he glumly walks back to the cottage.

"Blast it all, Brock, how could you let this happen?" Ash hears Iris shout as he enters the cottage to see her slapping the former captain upside the head.

"I'm sorry, Iris," Brock says sincerely. "I really thought Whitey still had some milk left in her."

"Sorry doesn't give my boy milk to drink," Iris rebukes while turning to Ash, making the raven-haired man flinch. "And you, you clumsy man-child, you know better than to break one of my uncle's fishing nets."

"It's not my fault," Ash protests. "One of the fish broke it. Besides, Brock keeps telling you that they weren't going to last very long because -"

"I don't want to hear your excuses," Iris rebukes. "Honestly, what kind of men are you two? I let you live in my uncle's cottage and all I ask is that you work to earn your keep and help me keep my son fed and ever since I've been hearing excuse after excuse about any of the work you have to do."

"Iris, please try to understand," Brock says calmly. "We've been doing the best we can, but there is only so much we have been able to do with all of the old equipment your uncle left. Your uncle even said himself that Whitey was already three years old when we all moved in, so she's way past the age that she is able to produce milk anymore. You can rebuke us all you want, but that won't make the situation any better. We've got to do something."

Iris glares angrily at the two men. Then her gaze turns to her thirteen-month-old son as Maynor innocently crawls around the room looking around the environment and babbling baby gibberish. The purple-haired woman's face softens slightly as the sight of her beloved child melts her broken heart.

"Very well," she says with a sigh. "I know my uncle would be displeased when he hears that we got rid of his last cow, but I'd rather face his disapproving glare than see my Maynor starving."

Brock lets out a breath he didn't know he was holding, Iris then turns to Ash, walks over to him and gives him a serious look.

"Ash, take Whitey to the butcher," she orders. "Make sure you get a fair price for her. No less than five gold coins, understood? That should be enough money to last us a while, while we think about what else we can do to stay here."

Ash feels uneasy to take the responsibility Iris is bestowing upon him, but he musters his own serious face and nods in understanding.

"Good," Iris says as she takes the net Ash was holding containing the fish. "I'll get this fish ready for lunch. Once you've eaten, you start your journey right away."


	2. Chapter 2

True to Iris' orders, Ash ties a rope around Whitey's head and begins taking her to the butcher after lunch. Ash walks down the road determined to carry out his mission even though he is not eager to have the cow that he has known for almost two years get slaughtered.

As he and Whitey are walking, however, they see a tall tree standing next to the road. Laying down on one of its branches is an older man with long brown hair, a bushy beard and is wearing black pants and shoes and a gray shirt with a black vest. Ash stops walking as he curiously sees the man lying down on the branches without a care as he seems to be writing on a red book with a quilt without a care as if he's on his own bed inside his own bedroom instead of a thin branch.

"Excuse me, sir," Ash calls out. "Why are you laying down on a branch and writing? Isn't it dangerous to be up there."

Surprisingly, Ash's questions are met with a strange giggle from the bearded man before he speaks.

"Your concern is well-meaning but unnecessary, Ash, my lad," he says with his eyes still glued to his book. "If I did not know how to be safe on top of a tree like this, my dear neck would have been broken from falling off a tree long before I stepped foot in your homeland."

Ash stares at the person writing confused.

"How do you know my name? For that matter, who are you and where are you from?" He asks.

Once again, the man giggles as he closes his book and rolls out of the branch before landing perfectly. Ash stares at the bearded man amazed as the man walks over to him and Whitey with a sly grin.

"I know many things, young esquire," the man says. "But as for who I am, my name has no relevance, for you benefit nothing by knowing it. I am one who prefers his life's work to speak louder than his own identity or place of origin."

"What do you mean?" Ash asks. "How can you rebuke who you personally are so feely?"

"Because my life is but a means to an end for far greater things The Lord has planned for those he wishes to be his instruments," the older man answers. "I am merely a keeper of miracles and extraordinary tales the world has to offer, young esquire."

Ash frowns sadly and turns his head away.

"Don't call me that, whoever you are," he says. "I'm not an esquire."

"Are you sure?" The man challenges. "Because I thought I was speaking to Ash the esquire of Queen Serena herself."

"Yeah, well I stopped being one when we...lost her," Ash says bitterly.

"Oh now that's not true," the man claims. "Once an esquire always an esquire until he proves his worth to become a knight. I see in your eyes that you crave that title almost as much as you love the beauteous and wise woman who ruled this land. Indeed, what you two have is something I would give many of my miracles in my possession for without question."

Ash becomes annoyed at the way this bearded man talks about his feelings for the queen.

"You assume to know a lot of things that are not your business," he snaps. "And you like to claim you have some kind of magic or something when there's no such thing as magic or miracles."

The man laughs and pats Ash on the back like an old friend.

"Now who told you that?" He asks. "Do you honestly believe all that Captain Brock said about miracles not being real?"

"Well, they obviously don't, do they?" Ash asks not realizing the man was not there when Brock did that.

The man smirks and pats on Ash's back again.

"Ash, my poor esquire, everything around us are miracles," he says as he holds out his book. "Even telling stories like the ones inside my book are miracles. Stories can make you feel happy, sad, scared, angry, and even make you reflect on what is happening in your life all by telling a flowing narrative. That's why I like to write stories that are told throughout the world. I like to record the miracles of this life and if I like what I hear I offer a great miracle in exchange for something else."

"Why do you do that?" Ash asks.

"Because some miracles need a push from time to time," the bearded man answers. "And it would not do for someone to gain such a miracle without showing they are willing to sacrifice something in return no matter how good the story they tell me is."

Ash feels just as confused as before with this information before the man opens his book and smirks at him.

"Would you like to try your luck, Esquire Ash?" He asks.

Ash hesitates before he shrugs and says, "Okay, so I would just have to tell a story?"

"Indeed," the man says. "But not just any story. This has to be a true story. Your own story of something precious in your life. And I know just the kind of story that will suffice."

"And what is that?" Ash asks.

The man chuckles as he walks over to the tree, sits down and opens the book with his quill at the ready.

"Tell me the story of you and Queen Serena."

Ash looks at him surprised.

"What?" he asks.

"You heard me," the bearded man says. "Every man, woman, and child who used to live in Kalos or still does knows that there is no one else who loved the beloved queen more than her childhood friend and esquire. The only problem is there is no soul I have met that has been able to tell me why. So who better to fill in the blanks than the man in love himself?"

Ash feels uncomfortable and turns his head away from the bearded man.

"I don't think I want to," he says. "I don't feel comfortable sharing something so meaningful when I'm still grieving my loss."

"That's perfectly understandable," the man says. "But just because something bad has happened doesn't mean you should treat the good moments any less. Maybe you will find joy in telling how you came to know the queen and fell in love with her."

Ash hesitates again before he sighs and reluctantly says, "Alright, I'll give it a try."

"Excellent," the man says as he takes out his quill eagerly. "Whenever you are ready, young esquire."

Ash frowns as he sits down next to Whitey and sighs as he begins his tale.

"So I don't know if you were told by the other Kalos people, but I was an orphan most of my life," he says.

"Can't say I've been told that," the man answers honestly.

Ash nods in understanding before he continues.

"Well my parents died when I was little and so I was taken in by Old Man Oak who at the time was the horse caretaker for King Lysandre, Serena's father. I worked as a stable boy for Old Man Oak when I was growing up and eventually, that's when I met her.

 _A young Ash is standing next to a tall, old man as they hold on the ropes attached to a horse. The horse is on a violent rampage inside the stable and the old man and Ash are struggling to keep the horse under control._

 _"For heaven sakes, what's gotten into Betsy?" the old man asks annoyed._

 _"I don't know, sir," the young Ash says._

 _"Just hold on to that rope, son," Old Man Oak commands. "She should calm down eventually."_

 _"Yes, sir," Ash says as he grinds his teeth to hold on to the rope._

 _The old man and the young boy struggle to keep the horse down. Unfortunately, it isn't long before Old Man Oak loses his grip on his rope, giving the horse the advantage to kick him hard in the face. Old Man Oak falls to the ground holding his nose and Betsy begins to run out of the stable. Ash cries out in panic as he is dragged away while he keeps holding on the rope._

 _"Betsy, stop!" he pleads._

 _But despite his pleas, the horse runs out of the stables and begins running across the castle grounds. People of nobility who are passing by_ scream _and run away to get out of the rampaging horse's way. Ash fights the urge to let go of the rope despite his arms and legs getting scratched by the hard surface._

 _Suddenly, Betsy takes a sharp turn and heads for the castle gardens. Ash's eyes widen in fear, worried that the horse could destroy or hurt someone there and then he and Old Man Oak will be in really big trouble. With as much strength as he can muster, Ash begins to pull himself up with the rope until he manages to get on the horse. He grabs his rope on one side and takes the one Oak was using on the other and holds them up like a rail._

 _"Whoa, Betsy! Whoa, girl!" he says as he pulls on the ropes._

 _The horse neighs loudly and continues to run madly. Suddenly, Ash sees a young girl with honey blonde hair and wearing a pink and red dress walking down the garden. She lifts her head to see Betsy and Ash running straight toward her and she screams in fear. Ash's heart sinks in fear before he pulls on the ropes even more._

 _"Betsy, stop!" he screams._

 _Finally, the horse stops running just_ a mere _feet away from the girl with a loud neigh. But in the process of stopping so suddenly, Ash finds himself flying off the horse and lands on the ground face first. The girl gasps in worry and she rushes to his side. Ash groans in pain with his eyes shut as the girl turns him over and holds his head with a worried look on her face._

 _"Are you okay?" she asks. "Please open your eyes."_

 _Ash continues to hiss in pain before he slowly opens his eyes in obedience. His gaze turns to the girl and his eyes snap open at the sight of her ocean blue eyes. Suddenly, the pain is on the back of his mind as he stares at the young girl in amazement._

 _"What? What's wrong?" The girl asks_ in _worry. "Why are looking at me like that?"_

 _"You're...you're...beautiful," Ash says without thinking._

 _The girl looks at him surprised and it takes a few seconds before Ash realizes what he just said and springs up in a sitting position._

 _"Sorry! Sorry! Sorry!" he says waving his hands at the honey blonde girl. "I don't know what I was saying! I probably got hit too hard on the head! I didn't mean to -"_

 _But suddenly, the girl begins to snicker which follows into a chuckle that she tries to contain with her mouth. Instead, of feeling even more embarrassed, however, Ash stares at the girl in awe. It was as if her laughter is a loud yet joyful song that is hypnotizing him._

 _"Thank you, that's very nice of you to say," she says politely._

 _Ash smiles, feeling a little more comfortable. He then starts to get up until he feels a sharp pain and he falls back down._

 _"What's wrong?" The girl asks._

 _"My leg hurts," Ash answers._

 _The girl looks over to his leg and gasps worryingly._

 _"You got cut bad," she says. "You're bleeding."_

 _Ash looks at his leg and sees his pants cut where there's a long bloody slash on his left leg. He frowns grimly until the girl stands up._

 _"Don't move," she orders._

 _Ash looks at her curiously as she runs inside the castle. He waits for a few minutes until she comes running back with a bowl of water, a couple of rags and some white cloths. She gets down on her knees, dips one of the rags into the water and wrings it before turning to him._

 _"Now hold still. This might sting," she says._

 _Ash nods in understanding and braces himself as she begins washing his leg with the rag. Ash tries not to whimper or flinch when the rag touches his cut._

 _"Why are you doing this?" He asks._

 _"I have to clean the wound before wrapping it so no bacteria can get into it," the girl answers._

 _"How do you know this?" He asks._

 _The girl frowns and gives him a disapproving glare._

 _"What? Just because I'm a princess I can't know how to treat a wound?" She asks._

 _Ash's eyes widen in shock which tells the girl enough._

 _"I see," she says with a smirk. "So you didn't even know that I'm the princess. I'm surprised. I would think the fact that this is the royal garden which is only for royalty and invited guests would give you a clue."_

 _Ash feels embarrassed all over again and he rubs his head._

 _"Sorry, Your Highness. I guess I should have realized it right away," he says._

 _"Oh, think nothing of it," the princess says with a smile. "If anything, it's nice not to have been immediately called 'Your Highness' or 'Your Majesty' for once."_

 _Ash smiles as he feels comfortable again while the princess finishes cleaning his wound and wraps his leg around the cloth before tying it up._

 _"Alright, now try to get up," she says while she stands up._

 _Ash tries to stand up, but the pain is still sharp and so he lands on his butt again. He groans before he finds the princess reaching out to him with her hand._

 _"Don't give up that easily," she encourages. "Now take my hand."_

 _Ash hesitates for a moment before he takes her hand. The princess smiles as she pulls him up only to use so much force that they end up in a hugging position. Ash blushes lightly as he stands so close to the beautiful, honey blonde girl before they break away._

 _"Now was that so hard?" The princess asks with a cheery grin. "By the way, what is your name?"_

 _"I'm Ash," Ash replies collecting himself. "And obviously your name is Princess -"_

 _"Serena!"_

 _Both kids jump in alarm as they see King Lysandre marching toward them with Old Man Oak. The king appears to be in a foul mood while Old Man Oak is acting uneasy with a bandage on his nose. Ash gulps as the king glares menacingly at him._

 _"How dare you intrude in my garden and stand in front of the princess, you filthy stable boy," the king growls._

 _"Father!" Serena angrily shouts in disbelief. "Is that any way to talk to the boy who just saved my life?"_

 _King Lysandre and Old Man Oak look at her surprised at what she just said._

 _"What was that?" the King asks._

 _"You heard me," Princess Serena says with her hands on her hips. "This boy did everything in his power to stop that horse from running over me and he injured his leg in the process. There's no telling what would have happened to me if Ash here didn't stop the horse just in time. He's no filth to me, he's a hero and you should show your appreciation."_

 _The king stands there flabbergasted by her words as if a mother just scolded her child. Old Man Oak turns to Ash lookings just as dumbfounded by what she just said._

 _"Ash, is this true?" he asks._

 _"Yes, sir," Ash answers honestly. "I stopped Betsy just in time before she could hit the princess."_

 _The two adults look at the two children, surprised before Old Man Oak smiles in approval._

 _"Well, then he's a hero, Your Highness," he says._

 _"It would appear so," the King admits despite visibly not wanting to admit it. "Well, done...Ash."_

 _The king turns around and begins to walk away until Princess Serena runs in front of him with a displeased look._

 _"Father, honestly," she rebukes. "Is that all to say to someone who just saved the life of your heir?"_

 _"You are not my heir, Serena," King Lysandre says coldly. "As a princess, you have no claim to the throne under our laws."_

 _Serena frowns bitterly at her father's words before she firmly says, "Regardless, I am still your child and as such Ash deserves better recognition from the king."_

 _The king frowns at her response. He huffs in irritation as he knows his daughter is right and she will not let up unless he does something. He turns to Ash who is checking Old Man Oak's injury._

 _"Well, he is a fairly built boy for his age. Clearly, time in the stable has helped him save her. There has to be someway I can reward him that doesn't mean much but would please Serena," King Lysandre mutters to himself before he snaps his fingers. "I know."_

 _The king walks over to Ash with a high posture and Ash notices just in time to bow to him while Serena and Old Man Oak watch eagerly._

 _"Young Ash, it is clear that the princess has found favor with you and thus you should be rewarded for your heroics," the King announces. "Therefore, I deem you should be my daughter's personal bodyguard where you shall look after my daughter during her daily routines and stay by her side. Do you accept."_

 _Ash dares to look up to show his surprised face to the king. His gaze turns to Serena who smiles excitedly and nods. He notices, however, that Old Man Oak is frowning at the idea which confuses Ash until the king clears his throat._

 _"Well?" He asks._

 _"Y-yes, Your Majesty," Ash finally says._

 _"Very well," King Lysandre says. "You shall now be known as Ash, Esquire of Kalos."_

 _Ash smiles, uplifted by the king's deceleration. King Lysandre gestures him to rise and the raven-haired boy obeys as the king clears his throat._

 _"Right," he says. "Well… sort out the details tomorrow so that you shall carry out your duties. Until then, good day, Esquire. Come, Serena."_

 _Serena nods and obeys as she follows her father back inside the castle. As she walks, however, she turns her head to Ash and waves goodbye with a cheerful smile. Ash blushes again as he waves back until the king and the princess are out or sight. Ash keeps smiling despite his blush until Old Man Oak firmly grabs Ash's shoulder and gives him a sour look._

 _"Don't be proud of that little title the king just gave you, son," the old man says bitterly. "I saw it in his eyes. He just did that as a means to get the princess off his back. You're getting a new job to just waste your teen years looking after a girl who he just sees as a means of marrying off when she is of age. Esquire is not going to mean anything in the long run."_

 _Ash's face falls at Old Man Oak's harsh words. The man's face softens and he pats the preteen boy sympathetically._

 _"Sorry, Ash," he says sincerely. "I just think it's best you learn this now rather than later. It's cruel that the world works this way, but the truth must be told. What would an esquire or a stable boy gain looking after someone as high class as that princess anyway?"_

"But you and Queen Serena didn't see it that way at the time?" The bearded man asks as he writes on his book.

"I did at first when Old Man Oak told me that," Ash answers. "But the next day, I began to stop caring about his words when I was given new quarters inside the castle, nicer clothes and I got to spend time with the princess virtually every moment that she was out of her bedroom and carrying out her studies or spending time in the royal gardens. And despite what Old Man Oak said, Queen Serena never showed that she viewed me as any less of a person even if I was basically her bodyguard that she could command to do whatever she wished. If anything, she proved that her kindness that she bestowed upon me on the day we met was no dream and so we began to be close friends under King Lysandre's nose.

"Ah, so King Lysandre would not have approved of your friendship growing up?" The man asks.

Ash shakes his head.

"The king and the nobility would think of me as a mere pawn or tool at best despite my proclaimed title," he answers. "But with Queen Serena's help, I learned not to mind. She taught me not to worry about what her father thought of me and I was quick to take her advice to heart."

"Yes, I imagine getting to be with her every day helped a great deal as well," the man says with a sly grin.

Ash blushes lightly which tells the bearded man enough.

"In any case, that explains how you met her and became her personal esquire," the man says. "But tell me, when did you realize that you were falling in love with her?"

Ash hesitates for a moment before he scratches his chin in thought

"Well, I guess I've always loved her even when I didn't realize it," he answers. "I think in some way I had always begun to love her since the moment I first laid eyes on her and watched her take care of my wounded leg and help me up without giving it a second thought. But the more I got to know her as we spent time together throughout our teenage years, the more I knew how sincerely I was falling in love with her. Sure it had to do with her incredible beauty and her kindness like one would describe any princess either in real life or in a fairytale, but in some way, I knew that she was so much more. She had a way of being as stubborn as her father whenever she desired something for another person just like she did for me on the day we met. She had an incredible thirst for knowledge and would even take the time to teach me how to properly read whenever we were alone in the royal gardens, and whenever I felt frustrated or bitter towards her father or the nobility because of the way they treated me, she was there to calm me down and to remind me not to stoop to their level."

"Forgive me for saying so, but that last part sounds like she was protecting you more than you were protecting her," the bearded man says.

"Well, you're not wrong," Ash admits. "It seemed like my uses were just to be someone to keep her company and talk and laugh with and read stories to or any books she would secretly borrow from the castle library about government and politics. Such books were considered forbidden in King Lysander's eyes because of her gender, but we both knew she was too smart not to let the words of her condescending father stop her. I never understood a word she said whenever she was reading those particular books to me, but I did my best to pay attention and I think she was just happy to talk about those things to someone whether I understood it or not."

The bearded man nods in understanding before Ash sighs sadly.

"And yet, deep down I knew what I had wasn't going to last," he says. "No happiness from being with her no matter how precious stopped me from feeling down somewhere deep inside knowing that one day King Lysandre will marry her off to some handsome prince that she has never met and I would spend the rest of my days alone in a place in the castle where I would basically never see her again and the reality of how generally worthless my position is would sink in. Of course, that thought only lead to a bittersweet surprise when she became queen."

 _It was several years since the day Ash first met Princess Serena. Both of them now are in their early twenties and seem to be only getting closer and closer. And yet, Ash has been feeling a little down as he worries about the future. So much so, that his mind drifts into his worries and it takes a while for Princess Serena to snap him out of his thoughts._

 _"Ash? Ash? Ash!"_

 _Ash yelps in surprise as the princess snaps her fingers in front of him. It takes a moment before he realizes that it is late in the day, the sun is setting and he and Serena are in the royal garden. He turns to the princess who pouts at him while holding up a book._

 _"Honestly, Ash, that's the third time you've drifted in your own little world today," she says." I would think my esquire would know better than to drift when we're out in the open."_

 _"Uh...sorry, Princess," Ash says scratching the back of his head._

 _"And stop calling me princess," she says sounding a little hurt. "Seriously, we're friends. Why would you start addressing me so formally when you've been calling me Serena for years? Has my father been pressuring you to call me princess again?"_

 _Ash struggles to respond. He does not want to answer her, but neither has he ever lied to her. However, his silence tells the princess more than enough._

 _"You know you shouldn't give in to his condescending words," she says with a sad frown. "He is the king, but you are my esquire."_

 _"Yeah, but that's why I've been drifting lately," Ash confesses._

 _Serena looks at him worryingly and asks, "What do you mean?"_

 _Ash sighs and says, "I may be your esquire now, but how long is that going to last? You know your father has been planning to start looking for some prince to marry you off to for the past couple of weeks."_

 _Princess Serena's face falls and she herself sighs._

 _"I understand," she says. "You're worried that once I'm married we won't be able to see each other again."_

 _Ash nods, yes._

 _"To be honest, Ash, I'm just as worried as you are," the princess confesses. "I hear my father and his counselors talk about someone like Prince Gary from Kanto or Prince Drew from Hoenn, both of which I hear are really no more than children inside the bodies of men. I would not be able to stand standing in the altar next to either of them just because they have a specific title and my father said so they will be the next king of Kalos. The Lord knows I've tried to reason with my father, but he's too close-minded to listen to me. It's frustrating. I just wish that he could understand I don't need some prince from another country to take care of me and our people. It's as if all my studies over the years it just has a means to distract me before I become someone's royal wife who's there to look pretty and give birth to the next king who will rule Kalos."_

 _Ash looks at Princess Serena sadly. He wishes there is something he could do to help her out of this situation, but at the same time he knows that if even if she found a way out of the scenario, there is no chance that she would be able to adjust the law so that she could be together with a guy like him instead of a prince if she ever wanted to._

 _"You definitely should be doing more than that, Your Highness, I mean Serena," he says. "And if any of these princes displeases you as your husband in any way, just say the word and I'll at least try to give him the what for."_

 _Princess Serena giggles at Ash's offer and puts her hand on his lap._

 _"He would probably have you killed or imprisoned if you did, but I appreciate the gesture, Ash," she says kindly._

 _Ash feels his heart melt at her kind words as the princess gives him a sweet look. He feels his cheeks heating up and so he clears his throat to slightly change the subject._

 _"So, uh what would you look for in a husband if it was completely up to you?" He asks._

 _Princess Serena looks at him surprised by his question. But then she looks away from him and has a small smile on her face._

 _"To tell you the truth, Ash, I haven't thought too much about what I want him to be so much what he is if that makes sense, " she confesses. "And yet I know that there is only one way I would be able to choose whether or not I have to marry someone my father chooses or if I have to marry someone at all."_

 _"Oh really? What's that?" Ash asks._

 _The princess hesitates before she says, "Well, it's kind of a long shot, but -"_

 _"Princess Serena!"_

 _Both Ash and Princess Serena turn around to find one of the King's attendants running towards them with a dreaded look on his face._

 _"Alain, what's wrong?" Princess Serena asks._

 _"It's your father, Your Highness," the attendant named Alain says. "He has fallen gravely ill."_

 _Princess Serena's eyes widened in shock. Her mouth hangs open as she stands there unable to process what she just heard. Ash looks at her worryingly before she speaks._

 _"What do you mean my father is ill?" She asks._

 _"Come with me. I'll explain everything on the way," Alain says._

 _Ash and Serena are quick to follow the older man out of the gardens and back inside the castle. Within the next several minutes of heading to King Lysandre's bedroom, Alain explained that the King has been under the weather for a while but has been stubbornly keeping it a secret and acting like nothing is wrong despite the royal physicians requesting otherwise. But just about a half an hour before Ash and Princess Serena were informed, King Lysandre suddenly collapsed and fell off his throne. The royal physicians have been telling everyone that they have warned the king that this could happen while trying to keep him alive._

 _For the next several hours, Ash had to wait outside of the king's bedroom with the counselors and attendants. None of them bothered to look at him as they still saw him as lower class, but Ash didn't care. All that was going on in his mind is what the princess is going through as she watches her father grow worse. A priest came earlier to be with the king most likely to pray to the Lord that King Lysandre will be healed._

 _Finally, after what seemed like forever, the doors to the bedroom are opened to reveal Princess Serena and the priest exiting while the royal physicians cover up King Lysandre with his bed covers. Ash becomes uneasy as he approaches the princess, but before he can say anything, her eyes snap to him to show tears flowing down her face. She doesn't hesitate to run over to him and hug him tightly as she cries. Ash hugs her back with all his might hoping that might comfort her in some way as she begins to silently weep on his shoulder. It is clear to the esquire that despite the differences she had with King Lysandre, she found it in her kind heart to love him dearly as any loving daughter should._

 _"The king is dead," the priest says. "May the Lord our God give his servant rest until the last day at the resurrection where we shall stand in his glory at the new Heaven and the new Earth where under The Lord's reign there will be no end. Amen."_

 _"Amen," says the counselors and the attendants while some of them cross themselves._

 _"Amen," Ash says in agreement._

 _"A-amen," Princess Serena weeps quietly._

 _"So what do we do now?" Alain asks._

 _"I'm afraid we have no choice," another counselor named Dexio answers firmly. "We must send word to our allies and begin arranging a marriage between the princess and one of their prince's immediately."_

 _Ash's heart sinks at this news._

 _"With all due respect, counselors, is this the best time to worry about that when Princess Serena just lost her father?" He finds himself asking without even thinking._

 _The priest, the counselors, and the attendants all turn to the young esquire and glare at him disapprovingly._

 _"Watch your tongue, boy," Counselor Dexio hisses. "This does not concern you."_

 _"As the princess' esquire and her friend, I think it does," Ash says. "It's clear that -"_

 _"Silence," Counselor Dexio barks. "You are no esquire. You're just a stable boy with decent clothes and a sword. You have no say in this matter any more than the princess does."_

 _"You're wrong, Counselor."_

 _All eyes turn to Princess Serena as she finally breaks her hold on Ash and turns around to face the counselors, the priest and the attendants. Her eyes are red from crying, but she maintains a strong glare as she stares down at Counselor Dexio._

 _"None of you have a say in this matter, but I do," she says._

 _"What are you talking about, Your Highness?" Counselor Dexio scoffs. "You are only a princess and under_ law _, you must marry a prince to carry on the royal bloodline. It was your father's wish."_

 _"And did he make a written decree that I must go by to that wish even after his passing?" Princess Serena challenges._

 _"Well...no...but -" the counselor begins._

 _"Then under Kalos law, the crown goes to whoever is left with Kalos royal blood and that is me," the princess says._

 _"What? That's preposterous!" Counselor Dexio says angrily with some of the other counselors and the attendants muttering words of agreement. "You have no claim to the throne. You are only a woman."_

 _"My gender does not matter," Serena says sharply. "As the only royal member of the royal family, only I have a legitimate claim to the crown and have the power to decide my future and no one else. Not even my father's counselors."_

 _The counselors glare disapprovingly at the princess until a taller one with black hair speaks up._

 _"The princess is right," he says, earning everyone's attention. "It is written in our ancient laws that the right to claim the throne goes to whoever is next in line with royal blood unless declared otherwise by the previous ruler by a written decree. And since you just admitted that King Lysandre made no such decree with his passing, Counselor Dexio, she can claim the throne for herself."_

 _Ash stands amazed by the counselor's words and sees Princess Serena smiling while the other counselors look at the tall, black-haired counselor baffled._

 _"Sycamore, you can't be serious," Dexio says. "King Lysandre only made no written decree because he was hardly conscious during his last hours."_

 _"I'm afraid it does not matter," the priest says earning everyone's attention. "It seems that Princess Serena has proven herself to be a very knowledgeable woman during all of her teachings over the years. There can be no exception made against our ancient laws, therefore she is to be the next ruler of Kalos."_

 _Princess Serena's smile grows as all of her father's officials stand there helpless to say anything against the man of the church. Counselor Sycamore then walks over to her and gets down on one knee._

 _"Then there is nothing more to discuss," he says. "The king is dead. Long live the Queen."_

 _The other officials try to say more words of protest, but nothing coherent came out of their mouths. Eventually, they all give in and get down on their knees and humbly say, "Long live the queen."_

 _Ash and Princess Serena smile proudly as even the priest bows his head in respect to the future queen. Princess Serena is visibly pleased to see that she has successfully put her father's condescending short-sighted officials in their place._

 _"Right," she says clearing her throat. "I realize that we have a number things to sort out before I am even crowned your queen, but I want to address some things immediately that should be brought to your attention, gentlemen. First, my esquire is to be treated with respect and as soon as I am crowned he is to be trained to become a knight, is that understood?"_

 _The counselors wince at her command as they have no wish to obey such a command but reluctantly nod their heads knowing they have no choice._

 _"Secondly, there's going to be a great number of changes concerning the law and our ways over the next couple of years," the queen continues. "It is past time that we put the condescending ways of my father and many kings before him into the past and aim for a greater future for all of the people of Kalos."_

"Ah, I think I can figure out the rest, young esquire," the bearded man says as he continues to write. "From then on, Queen Serena abolished the necessity to have her marry a prince in order to keep her place in the throne and started to write new laws to abolish the power that the higher-ups in the government contained against the people. From then on, there was peace and happiness on Kalos and your people instantly grew to love your queen dearly."

"They sure did," Ash says with a small smile on his face, feeling a small sense of pride for what the queen became. "Of course, it wasn't long before she also found it necessary to relieve most of her father's officials like Counselor Dexio who eventually went to Sinnoh in attempt to have his ideals appreciated in another kingdom with poor results. Many of our allies were hesitant to take her seriously, but with her kindness and sharp wit they began to see how Kalos was flourishing under her rule and so they began to respect and admire her."

"And you were training to become a knight while all of this happened?" The man asks.

"Yes, I was," Ash says with his smile faltering. "However, I learned the hard way that it was not something I could become easily. Since I was given rather minimal training in the ways of combat when I became her esquire, there was so much that Brock and General Wulfric needed to teach me even after three years of training before…"

Ash's face falls completely. Even the bearded man looks at him grimly and stops writing.

"Before she and the castle disappeared," he finished.

Ash nods robotically.

"We don't need to go into that matter, son. I understand the pain of losing someone dear to you so suddenly. Besides, I have good enough information for my book and I can announce that you are indeed worthy of being offered a miracle."

Ash frowns disapprovingly and says, "That's nice of you to say, of what miracle could you offer that could help me or even my friends just because of my story?"

"Oh, I think you need to learn not to sell yourself short, young Ash," the bearded man says. "In fact, you have told me such a tale that I wish to offer you one of the most valuable miracles I have in my inventory."

The bearded man closes his book and then opens his sack to look through his belongings. It takes a moment before he takes out a small brown bag and proudly holds it up to show Ash who looks at it in confusion.

"What's in the bag?" he asks.

"Only one of the rarest and valuable miracles anyone can offer," the bearded man says. "I hold in this bag 5 magic beans. The kind of magical beans that few people on the Earth remember the time when they were plentiful throughout the world before they died out and became virtually extinct."

Ash turns away from the bearded man saying, "Give me a break. There is no such thing as magic beans. How can they be of any value to me or anyone that I care about?"

The bearded man chuckles in amusement.

"A perfectly logical response, young Esquire," he says. "If the roles were reversed, perhaps I would be as quick to reject them as you are. I assure you, though I am not speaking nonsense. If you plant these beans on the lights of a full moon, they will grow into a giant beanstalk and you and your friends will have giant green beans to feast on for both yourselves and Lady Iris' child. And if you are lucky, then you might have a chance for something far more than just a giant beanstalk with a considerable supply of food."

"Like what?" Ash challenges.

"I cannot tell you that. That would be spoiling the surprise," the bearded man says in a taunting tone. "But remember, I don't give miracles for free no matter how much I like your story."

Ash raises his eyebrow and asks, "Say I believe you when you say the beans inside that bag of yours are magic, what could you possibly want from me in return?"

"What indeed," the bearded man says before turning his eyes to Whitey. "Tell you what, in exchange for my beans why don't you give me your cow?"

"Are you out of your mind?" Ash rebukes. "I need to take Whitey to the butcher so that we can have food on the table."

But the bearded man merely chuckles in response.

"Well now, that's what makes it the perfect trade, now isn't it?" He says. "It's as I said, boy, you must prove yourself willing to sacrifice something if you want a chance for something far greater than what you have. Besides, young esquire, what good will slaughtering a cow for money do for you, Captain Brock, Lady Iris, and her precious boy, Maynor in the long run? Oh, a few gold coins or so will keep your bellies full enough for perhaps a couple of days if not a week at most if you use that money wisely, but after that, you will be left with nothing but a roof under your heads and what good would that do any of you when you're still starving?"

Ash hesitates and his critiquing glare falters as he thinks about what the bearded man said.

"That's...true…" He reluctantly admits.

"Of course, it's true," the bearded man says firmly. "Besides, think of the good you can do with the green beans that grow out of this miracle. You could not only feed yourself and your friends but perhaps so much of Kalos itself."

"Are these beans really capable of doing that?" Ash asks.

"That all depends on you," the man says. "So what's it going to be Ash? Are you going to take your chances with this cow, or are you going to take a leap of faith?"

Ash doesn't say anything right away. His mind is saying that he should not trust this man, and continue going to the butcher, but another part of him wants to believe that there is such a thing as magic and the bag of beans really can do everything this man said. The raven-haired man racks his brain until he can't take it anymore.

"Alright, fine," he shouts. "I made up my mind. You can have Whitey for the beans."

The bearded man laughs joyously as he runs over to Ash and holds the bag close to him.

"A very good choice, dear esquire," he says as he opens the bag. "See that the beans are indeed right in this bag and there are in fact five in all."

Ash looks inside and indeed sees five small beans before the bearded man closes the bag and puts it on Ash's hand.

"Don't worry about 'Whitey,' my good man. I shall be sure that she is well taken care of. You have my word on it," the man says.

"Suits me fine," Ash says. "So all I have to do is plant these in the light of a full moon."

"You are correct, sir," the bearded man says with a grin. "In fact, if my knowledge is right, it will be a very full moon tonight. So you better hurry and make sure the beans are planted before nightfall."

Ash nods in understanding and turns around to begin the long walk back to the cottage. The bearded man grins before turning to face Whitey and takes the rope tied around her neck.

"Well, Ms. Whitey, let's see if I can find a better place for you than the butcher's shop," he says with a grin before turning around to look at where Ash left. "And let's hope that boy does not disappoint me the way that purple-haired woman will probably be."

Whitey merely moos in response making the bearded man giggle mischievously.

"YOU DID WHAT?!" Iris screams.

"Oh, Ash, how could you do this?" Brock asks shaking his head with his arms crossed disapprovingly.

Ash gets nervous after coming back to the cottage to announce that he's sold Whitey for the beans.

"But guys, these aren't just ordinary beans. They're magic beans," he protests. "If we plan these in the light of a full moon it will -"

"Be just some dirty old beans!" Iris barks angrily as she snatches the bag of beans from his hand. "How could you be so stupid?! That milkless cow was all we had left to survive! I gave you one simple job and you dare to come back with nothing but these things?!"

Iris screams in frustration as she opens the bag, takes out the beans and throws them out the window.

"Iris, no!" Ash shouts as he tries to run to go after the beans only to have Brock hold him back.

"Ash, I'm very disappointed in you," the taller man says. "I thought you were smarter than this."

"Smarter, my foot," Iris growls. "He's nothing but a lunkhead! A nincompoop! A moron! A dimwit! A nuckl -"

"Alright, Iris, that's enough," Brock says calmly. "Name calling him isn't going to fix anything."

"I don't care," Iris shouts with tears starting to run down her face. "Thanks to him we're penniless! How will we live? How am I going to feed my son? Are we to become beggars? Thieves?"

"Look, I really had good intentions, Iris," Ash protests. "If they grew into a beanstalk it could have grown some green beans and such so that we would have plenty to eat. Wouldn't that have been better than what we could have gotten if I did sell Whitey to the butcher?"

"No, because there's no such thing as magic," Iris rebukes. "You just want to believe there is because you just can't get over the fact that Queen Serena, Cilan, Holly, General Wulfric and everyone else caught in that blaze are gone for good. You just want to believe you can use magic to fix everything and you'll be the cute little hero you wanted to be for the Queen all because you had a crush on her that she would never have returned."

"Whoa, hey now, Iris. That's going too fa -" Brock begins before Iris continues.

"But your right about one thing, Ash; that stupid cow was not going to help us for long," Iris shouts. "So maybe it's time we go our separate ways so that neither I or my son should have to see your idiotic, no-good, lazy faces again!"

Ash and Brock stand there shocked at the purple-haired woman's outburst. Silence fills the room until they hear Maynor on the floor whimpering because of his mother's rant. Iris' anger instantly fades at the boy's quiet cries and she rushes to his side and picks him up.

"There, there, Maynor Bear," she coos. "Mommy's sorry that she yelled. It's okay."

The little boy's whimpers quiet down as his mother holds him lovingly. Iris smiles briefly at hearing her son calm down before turning to Ash and Brock with a sour look.

"I'm going to get ready to leave for Unova tomorrow," she says coldly. "And I want you two packing up to leave this place at dawn."

Without another word, she storms out of the living room taking Maynor with her. Silence fills the room again as Ash turns to Brock with a pleading look.

"Brock, you have to believe me," he says. "I really wanted to -"

"Don't," Brock says sharply. "Just… just don't, Ash. I don't want to hear it anymore. Let's just go to bed."

Ash stares at his friend devastated as the taller man walks away. He glumly finds a chair to sit on and sighs depressed.

"Why can't anything go my way?" He asks himself. "Everything I do to try to help someone always end up in ruins?"

Ash tries to answer his own question and eventually sighs in defeat.

"Maybe Iris is right. I'm letting my guilt of not rescuing the queen affect me," he says before he covers his face with his hands in defeat. "Your Highness… Serena, I miss you...so much."


	3. Chapter 3

_Ash finds himself in the middle of the hallways of Lumiose Castle. There is no one else here nor are any of the tapestries or decorations showing the Kalos flag are to be seen. The raven-haired man grows uneasy as he feels all alone._

 _"Hello?" He calls out hearing his voice echoing. "Is anyone here? Brock? Iris? Cilan? Holly? Anybody?"_

 _He hears nothing but his voice echoing the halls as he wanders the castle. He doesn't know what to think of this before he finds himself in the castle throne room. There, he hears someone sitting on the queen's throne crying bitterly. Ash walks closer to find that it's none other than Queen Serena with her head down and her hands covering her face as she weeps._

 _"Serena?" Ash stress as he rushes over to her. "Why are you crying? Where is everyone? Why is the castle -"_

 _*SLAP*_

 _Ash holds his cheek with his hand in shock after the Queen suddenly stands up and slaps him hard in the face. Ash's eyes widen in fear as the honey blonde queen gives him an angry look._

 _"Don't you dare address me so informally, peasant," she snarls._

 _"But I thought you wanted me to," Ash says._

 _"I changed my mind," Queen Serena says angrily. "I want nothing to do with you after you failed to save me from that fire on my birthday of all days! I was going to ask the man I love for his hand in marriage and you ruined everything by leaving me to die! What kind of esquire are you?"_

 _"I was saving you from that fallen tree," Ash protests with tears in his eyes._

 _"Oh sure, save me from certain death so that I could be killed soon after," the queen says sarcastically. "Honestly, why did I force my father to make you my bodyguard? Because of you, I'm dead and all of Kalos is in ruins and now you have brought starvation upon Iris, Brock, and Maynor. Seems every attempt you make to save people makes things worse."_

 _Ash hangs his head ashamed as he begins to cry silently._

 _"Oh, that's right, cry," Queen Serena mocks. "Cry in front of the most powerful queen in the world who would never have wanted you as her husband. You're nothing but a stable boy who was privileged with my beauteous presence before I would get my hands on a real man worthy of my time. I would never so much as blow a kiss at you much less marry a pitiful filth like you if all of existence depended on it."_

 _"Y-y-you don't mean that," Ash cries. "E-e-even if you never loved me, w-w-we're still friends, aren't we?"_

 _"Don't mock me," the queen hisses. "What powerful and magnificent queen would want to be even in speaking terms with a dimwitted boy who thinks a bag of beans are magic. It's the most pathetic thing I have heard in my life!"_

 _Ash feels crushed beyond expression. Every word of anger and bitterness he hears from the woman he loves breaks his heart more than he ever thought possible._

 _"Now leave my presence and never step foot in my kingdom again!" Queen Serena barks. "If I ever see your face again, I will have your libs cut off and make you wiggle on the ground like the worm you really are!"_

 _"No. No this isn't you," Ash says. "You're the kindest person I've ever known. You would never say anything like that to anyone."_

 _"People change, peasant," the queen says with a wave of her hand. "Sooner or later I was bound to accept the truth of how worthless you are. Now out!"_

 _"Serena please, don't do this."_

 _"Out!"_

 _"Serena I lo -"_

 _"I SAID GET -"_

"ASH! BROCK!"

Ash once again leaps into a sitting position on his bed and looks at his surroundings. He sighs in relief, thankful that what he had just witnessed was nothing more than a dream. He can still feel his heart hurting a little from hearing Queen Serena's cruel words in the dream. His moment of relief is interrupted, however, when he feels Iris grabbing him by the shoulders and shaking him with a look of shock in her eyes.

"Ash, you gotta come outside quick," she says frantically.

Before Ash can ask what's wrong, Iris runs over to Brock's bed and shakes the tall man hysterically.

"Alright, Iris, alright," Brock says groggily as he wakes up. "We're going to leave."

"No, that's not it," Iris says. "You gotta come outside, it's unbelievable!"

"What's unbelievable, Iris?" Ash asks.

The purple-haired, dark-skinned woman turns to Ash suddenly feeling guilty.

"Ash, I'm so, so sorry," she says.

"Sorry about what? I don't understand," Ash says.

"You were right about the beans," Iris says. "There's a giant beanstalk standing right next to the cottage!"

At this, Brock springs up into a sitting position and stares at the former maid dumbfounded.

"Iris, are you trying to mess with us?" He asks suspiciously.

"Why would I prank you over this?" Iris shouts pointing at the other side of the cottage. "Look! You can see it out the window from where I threw the beans!"

Ash and Brock turn to look at the window from the other side of the cottage and stare in confusion to see something tall and green blocking the window. The two men look at each other for a moment before they snap into action, putting on their clothes and running outside with Iris following behind to stare in amazement.

Standing right next to the cottage from where Iris did indeed throw the beans out the window is an enormous beanstalk so tall that it is reaching past the clouds up in the sky. Ash's mouth hangs open while Brock stands still amazed at the spectacles standing in front of them.

"Wwwwooooowwwwwww," Ash says in amazement.

"As I live and breathe," Brock sets in amazement. "The bearded man was telling you the truth, Ash. Those beans really were magic."

"I know, it's incredible," Iris says frantically. "And not just the beans, but the fact that that this thing can give us food. Look!"

The two men look at where she's pointing and gasp in surprise to see a giant green bean attached to the beanstalk hanging several feet from the ground. They look further up to see several more hanging on the beanstalk. It takes a moment before Ash suddenly begins to laugh happily.

"I knew it!" he shouts joyously. "I knew they were magic! Now, look at us with food to spare!"

"It's incredible," Brock says. "We can probably live off just one of those green beans for weeks."

"We sure can," Iris smiling, feeling happy herself before turning to Ash. "And it's all thanks to you, Ash."

Brock smiles and pats Ash on the back.

"I must admit your decision to trade Whitey for the beans helped us out for the better, buddy," he says. "You did really good."

"Thanks, Brock," Ash says happily until he notices Iris walking over to him with a guilty look.

"While we're on the subject...I'm...I'm really sorry for all those things I said about you and the queen, Ash," She says apologetically.

"It's okay, Iris," Ash says with a small smile. "You were angry and had nothing but my word to go by. Plus, you had Maynor to worry about feeding."

"You don't have to defend me, Ash. I -" Iris says before she gasps and her eyes widen. "Oh my gosh, Maynor! He needs to wake up. Okay, Brock, I need you to cut down one of those green beans so we can get started with breakfast."

"I'm on it," Brock says nodding as Iris goes back inside the cottage. Brock goes to the farm and comes back carrying an ax.

"Ash, get ready to catch the green bean once it's disconnected from the beanstalk," Brock says as he starts climbing on the beanstalk.

"Right," Ash says.

Brock climb ups to the first green bean attached to the beanstalk and with one hand holding on, he swings his ax right at the stem until it breaks. The green bean falls off and Ash catches it with ease. Ash holds the vegetable in amazement as the green bean is nearly the size of a grown person.

"Come on. We better bring this over to Iris," Brock says as he climbs down.

Ash nods in agreement, but before he turns around to head back to the cottage, he hears a faint squeaking sound.

"Hey, did you hear something?" He asks.

Brock looks at him confused until he hears the squeaking too.

"Yeah," he says perplexed. "It sounds like it's coming from the beanstalk."

The two men look up and are surprised as they see a tiny mouse dressed in a pink dress climbing down the beanstalk. Ash and Brock look at each other dumbfounded as the mouse makes its way to the ground and stands up on its hind legs like a human as it turns to look at the two men. Ash and Brock stare at the mouse and it stares back at them looking just as surprised as they are. Suddenly, the mouse begins squeaking loudly with joy as it races after Brock, jumps on his leg and hugs it tightly. Brock stammers nervously as he reaches down and grabs the mouse and yanks it off his leg. He proceeds to throw it, only to find the mouse holding on to his finger tightly.

"What the -? Get off already!" Brock says as he tries to free himself from the mouse.

But no matter how hard he tries, the mouse holds on to his finger tightly. Ash stares at the display in front of him until he notices something.

"Brock, wait, stop," he says. "It's crying."

Brock stops struggling and looks at his friend in confusion until he opens his palm to see that the mouse is indeed crying. Little tears fall down its tiny eyes as it holds on to Brock's thumb with its entire body as if the thumb itself is something or someone the mouse loves and misses dearly. Ash puts down the giant green bean and walks over to stare in amazement.

"This is strange. Mice can't cry," Brock says. "And what in the world is it doing wearing a dress and standing like a human."

Ash stares at the mouse fascinated until he remembers what the bearded man says.

"Hey, the bearded man did say that there might be more to the miracle of the beans," he says. "Maybe there's something up at the top of the beanstalk where this mouse came from."

Instantly, the mouse stops crying and eagerly nods her head while squeaking rapidly as if it's trying to say something.

"Whoa, wait a minute," Brock says. "You understand what Ash said?"

The mouse nods again excitedly.

"Then I'm right. There is something else up there where you live," Ash says. "I say we should climb up and see."

At that, the mouse looks frightened and squeaks frantically.

"What's wrong, little mouse? Is there something you don't want us to see up there?" Brock asks.

The mouse shakes her head and then it suddenly puts its paw on the bottom of its mouth like a human scratching their chin in thought and gets an idea. The mouse then proceeds to do a bunch of movement and charades in attempt to try to say something. Ash and Brock attempt to make out what the mouse is trying to say as best as they can, but by the time the mouse is done, the two men are as confused as ever.

"Did you understand any of that, Brock?" Ash asks.

"I'm not sure," Brock says honestly. "I think she said something about a woman or people frightened by some mean bulking person and someone with magic powers or something of that nature, but I can't tell for sure. Did I get any of that right, little mouse?"

The mouse hesitates and shrugs as a way to say, "More or less."

"But does that mean she needs our help?" Ash asks.

The mouse nods vigorously again and squeaks in eagerness as it points to the sky.

"I don't know," Brock says hesitantly. "It might be dangerous. I mean what can we do if one of the people she is talking about does have magic?"

The little mouse looks at the tall, tan man worryingly and begins to hug his thumb again and lets out a series of pleading squeaks. Brock becomes more uneasy with the little mouse's cries before Ash clears his throat.

"You know, we may be facing danger, but I think this might be an opportunity we should take," he says. "I mean I took a chance with getting those magic beans in the first place and look what that already got us."

"But what about Iris and Maynor?" Brock. asks. "I doubt Iris will want to take her son up there where it can be dangerous."

Neither Brock or Ash notice the mouse looking at the former curiously at the mention of Iris and her son.

"Then they have to stay here," Ash says. "Besides, they'll be okay. We have more than enough food now and no one else still living in Kalos will try anything against a woman like Iris."

"That's true," Brock admits. "Then I guess there's nothing left to do but grab our swords, tell Iris what's up and go."

"Alright," Ash says excitedly. "Then let's go on an adventure."

The little mouse squeals excitedly in agreement.

It took a while to explain everything to Iris once she came back outside the cottage while carrying Maynor. The purple-haired woman was terrified at first at the site of the little mouse, but when Brock and Ash calmed her down and explained everything to her she was only weirded out still by the fact that the mouse was dressed and standing like a human. Once the two men fully brought her up to speed with the mouse trying to explain as best as she could with her movements, Iris reluctantly agreed with Ash that they should take this opportunity since the bearded man was right about the beans.

After Brock and Ash had a quick meal with parts of the green bean that Brock chopped off, the two men grab their belts containing the swords they had as the queen's captain and esquire and begin climbing up the beanstalk with the little mouse.

As the two men and the mouse climb the beanstalk, Ash and Brock begin to tire and begin to find branches to lie down and rest their arms. It wasn't long, however, before they would get uncomfortable stopping as they see how high they are getting the farther they climb. Finally, the little mouse and the two men climb all the way to where the beanstalk is reaching through the clouds. Ash and Brock struggle to see through anything as they try to keep on climbing until the clouds clear and they reach the top of the beanstalk only to discover that they seem to be at the bottom of a drinking well. Ash and Brock stare at each other in confusion until the mouse squeals eagerly while showing them the spots on the well where they can climb out. The two men sigh begrudgingly as they continue climbing until they reach the top of the well and climb over to see that there is solid ground on the other side. They plummet to the ground and groan in pain as they massage their arms.

"That was painful," Ash groans.

"I am never using my arms again for as long as I live," Brock whines.

The mouse squeaks at them again, trying to get them to stand up as they lay down. She tries to slap Brock's face to snap him out of it before pointing at something. Brock groans before he looks to where the mouse is pointing and gasps in shock.

"Ash… are you seeing what I'm seeing?" He asks.

"What, Brock?" Ash asks as he opens his eyes and gasps as well.

The two men stand in awe as they see they are standing just a few feet away from Lumiose Castle standing as tall and proud as they remember it. They check their surroundings and realize they are in the castle grounds where the trees and flowers look like they are dying from lack of proper nutrition.

"Ash, I think you were right about more than just the beans," Brock says as the two men stand up in awe.

"I think so too," Ash says in amazement before something clicks in his mind. "Wait a minute, if the castle is here, then maybe…"

"Hello."

Ash's heart skips a beat and he feels goosebumps all over his body for the first time in a long time. He and Brock dare to turn around to see a shadowy figure standing behind a tree.

"It can't be," Brock says.

The figure walks out of the shadow to reveal a familiar face with the same honey blonde hair but her eyes look faded blue and there's a lifeless smile on her face while wearing a plain ugly green dress.

"S-s-Serena!" Ash screams as he runs over to the woman and hugs her tightly with tears in his eyes. "Y-y-you're here. You're alive!"

"Your Highness," Brock says in amazement as he and the mouse walk over to her. "Thank God you're here! Where is Holly? Is she alright? Where is Cilan and General Wulfric?"

No one notices the mouse looking at Brock sadly at his question.

It takes a moment before Ash and Brock realize that Queen Serena is not responding. Ash releases his embrace on the woman he loves as steps back to see that she's standing still in the same position as if his embrace was nothing but a mere blow in the wind.

"Serena?" Ash asks. "Serena are you okay?"

"Queen Serena, please talk to us," Brock says.

The two men wait a moment before the honey blonde woman finally turns her face robotically to look directly at them. Neither Ash or Brock know how to react until she finally speaks

"Hello," she says again. "My name is Princess Serena. Tell me, who are you?"


	4. Chapter 4

Ash has never felt more speechless in his life. For two years he's been wishing that by some miracle the queen of Kalos and the love of his life would still be alive even after seeing her turn into nothing by a green ball of fire. It looked like he would never see her again in this life much less ever get the courage to tell her how much she means everything to him while he struggles to bring food on the table for himself, Brock, Iris, and Maynor. And yet his tongue feels incapable of use as Serena, the woman he loves, his oldest friend and the queen herself introduced herself as a princess and asks who he is.

It takes a moment before Brock speaks what is on both his and Ash's mind.

"Queen Serena, what are you talking about?" He asks. "It's us, Captain Brock and your esquire, Ash. We thought you were dead for almost two years. Are Holly, Cilan and General Wulfric with you?"

But the queen makes no response. Just keeps giving them a lifeless smile.

"Serena, please tell me you remember me," Ash begs. "We've been friends for years. Don't you remember how we met? I stopped Betsy from hitting you? What about when I was there when your father died and you became queen?"

For a moment, the honey blonde woman keeps staring at them before she turns to Ash and speaks in a dull tone.

"Excuse me, young man, but one should not address a princess so informally. I'm afraid I must ask you to refer to me as either Princess Serena, Your Highness, or Your Majesty."

Ash looks even more devastated than before to hear the queen he loves dearly speak to him like a cold, distant stranger.

"And I fear I don't know at all what either of you are talking about," she says turning to Brock. "I don't know anyone by those names for I have been living by myself ever since my parents died when I was very little."

Ash and Brock continue to stare at the queen looking as dumbfounded as before. Suddenly, the mouse wearing the pink dress runs over to Queen Serena and squeaks rapidly at her, trying to get the honey blonde woman to understand what it is trying to say. But the queen merely looks at the mouse for a moment before she picks up the mouse, puts it on a small cloud that was floating next to her and gently pushes it away.

"I'm sorry, but I must ask you to go away as I hate mice," Queen Serena says coldly.

The mouse looks at the queen broken-hearted and begins to squeal out a cry as Brock catches the cloud and takes the mouse out of it with a sympathetic look.

"Sere - er… Princess Serena, what are you saying?" Ash asks. "Do you really have no memory of Kalos, our home?"

The queen tilts her head gently with a small look of curiosity shown in her bland face.

"Kalos? Why that sounds like a strange place," she says. "My home has always been here in the land of the clouds where I am soon to rule with my handsome fiance."

That did it. At that moment, Ash feels like his heart has been broken worse than it ever did when he thought Serena had died after he tried to save her. Even Brock looks at his friend feeling sympathetic toward him before turning back to the queen.

"Excuse me, Your Highness, but did you say fiance?" he asks.

"Why, yes," Serena says with a faint sense of cheer in her voice. "I am happily engaged to my incredibly handsome and charming prince, Calem. Tomorrow at dawn we are going to be married at the castle cathedral. I feel like the luckiest girl in the world knowing I'm going to be happily married to the most wonderful prince in the world and have his beautiful sister, Madame Venus become my sister-in-law."

Ash's devastation feels complete as his heart feels like there's nothing left of it but mere tiny shards of what's left of it.

"You...you care for this prince and awful lot?" he finds himself asking with his voice cracking.

"I do," Queen Serena says with a quiet, happy sigh. "There is no one in the universe that can make me happy the way my Calem can."

Ash feels the pain in his broken heart worsen with her words. He feels tears emerging from his eyes until he and Brock hear the strange sound of soft music playing all around them. The two men look at each other in confusion as there is no one with any musical instruments anywhere near the area. It's as if the music is playing purely out of thin air. Suddenly, Queen Serena begins to twirl to and fro as if she's in a ballet and the two men and the mouse stare as she begins to sing.

watch?v=QFcuRVb0nLM

No one's happier than I,

I feel like reaching up to touch the sky

I'm riding on a cloud,

I could sing out loud

I'm a glow and I know the reason why

No one's luckier than I,

My happy heart inside is riding high

I tell the sun and moon

Like the world is in tune

And the birds often sing a lullaby

For I'm in love

And I'm loved in return

The gods above

Can see that I yearn

For the day he takes me in his arms

Where I will sigh and try not to be shy

I don't mind telling you

Cause I know that it's true

There is no one who's happier than I.

The music fades away as soon as it started and the queen finishes her strange dance with one last twirl. She then turns to Ash, Brock and the mouse and lightly chuckles like a spiritless little girl.

"Well? What do you think?" she asks. "Isn't my song for my amazing prince simply wonderful?"

The two men look at each other in confusion before Brock clears his throat.

"Uh...yeah, very...beautiful," he says reluctantly. "But where did the music come from?"

"Oh, do you not have music from where you two live?" Queen Serena asks with her head slightly tilted.

"Well...yes, but we've never heard music play out of nowhere without any instruments," Ash answers honestly.

"Oh, well here in the land of the clouds, there is magic all around us," Queen Serena says. "And magic can influence people to sing if we wish to express how we feel. It's not something one can control, it's just something that comes naturally."

Ash and Brock stare at the queen looking just as befuddled as before even with her explanation. They both try to figure out what she meant until the queen walks over to Ash and takes his hand.

"But come now, we mustn't stand out here in the courtyard all day," she says. "Tell me, did you say your name is Ash and that you're an esquire?"

"Uh...yes?" Ash says uncomfortably.

"Well, then, why don't you come into the castle with me, Esquire Ash?" she requests. "I know Madame Venus would be happy to meet a cute boy like you."

Ash hesitates to respond to her invitation. As much as he would never refuse the queen anything she asks of him under normal circumstances, he does not feel comfortable with the way she calls him a boy while looking at him with her ocean blue eyes looking faded and soulless. And yet he can't deny that he feels his cheeks heating up for the first time in two years after feeling her hand holding his. It's as if while he feels like the person standing before him is not the woman he fell desperately in love with, there's still some strange presence around her just from the way she holds his hand that feels familiar and comforting like somehow the queen he loves is still standing in front of him somehow. He bites his lip and takes a deep breath before taking a chance.

"Sure," he manages to say. "That sounds great."

"Wonderful," Serena says with barely a hint of joy in her eyes and she leads Ash to the castle entrance with her hand still grasping his. `I know you're going to like Madame Venus, Ash. She's sweet and kind and gentle and very beautiful. Why nothing in the world is as beautiful as her. Not even I hold a candle to her despite her saying otherwise with her precious, humble heart."

Ash stares at Queen Serena hesitantly while she drags him inside as in his heart he could never imagine anyone more beautiful than her. Brock frowns at his friend and the queen walk inside without even acknowledging him. But before he can say anything to rebuke him, the mouse in the pink dress pulls his ear and he turns his head to see her standing on his shoulder with a worried look.

"What's wrong?" he asks.

The mouse doesn't hesitate to start squeaking again desperately while making different postures again to try to get what she's saying across to the tall man. Brock watches her intently and hums in thought.

"Okay, so what I think I'm getting is that Ash and the queen are in danger from the people you were talking about before?" he asks.

The mouse nods, happy that Brock understands her.

"Then we have to do something," Brock says determinedly. "We need to bring them back here before those people find them."

The mouse's eyes widen in fear and she grabs Brock's ear again for attention and squeaks frantically.

"What's wrong? Why can't we go save them?" Brock asks.

The mouse jumps off Brock's shoulder and points at the left side of the castle while squeaking eagerly.

"Huh? Is there something at the east wing of the castle you want to show me?" he asks.

The mouse nods and makes a running start to where she wants to take Brock. The tall man hesitates as he turns to the main entrance of the castle where Ash and Queen Serena just entered and sighs hoping that the mouse will be able to explain what he can do before it's too late.

Inside the castle, the halls look dull and dark all around. There is no sign of any tapestry or royal rug to proudly show that this is the castle of the Queen of Kalos. Where there was light and majesty roaming every hall in this grand castle, it is now filled with darkness and dread. All of this floods Ash's mind as he looks around the castle. Whatever gave him the idea that he would be happy to step foot in this castle that was his home after so many years again is dashed with a sense of horror in the air as he follows Serena down the halls.

"Your Highness, what has happened to all of the castle decorations in the castle?" he asks.

"Why, whatever do you mean, Ash?" The Queen asks without looking at him.

"It's just that this place used to be filled with Kalos tapestries and banners to proudly show that this is the majestic Lumiose Castle," Ash explains.

Once again, the honey blonde woman makes an empty giggle in response.

"You are a silly boy, aren't you?" she says. "I already told you that I've never heard of a place called Kalos and this is not Lumiose Castle. In fact, it has no name at all. It is simply my castle where I rule the land of the clouds as the princess."

"Yeah, you keep saying that but you are not a princess, you are a queen," Ash protests.

"I'm afraid you are gravely mistaken, Ash," Serena says dully. "I am the princess of the clouds and I cannot be crowned until I marry my striking prince and he is crowned king of the land."

Once more, Ash feels a pain in his heart at hearing the woman he loves talk about marrying this prince. His face turns gloomy until he and Serena make it to the grand hall and she suddenly runs over to a giant picture frame hanging on the wall. Ash looks at her curiously as he walks over to her.

"Do you see this?" she asks with her eyes fixed on the picture frame with her hands behind her back. "This is my beloved Prince Calem. Tomorrow I'm going to be his wife."

Ash looks at her curiously before he turns to the giant picture frame and yelps in fright. Covering the picture frame is a giant, hulking, ugly man with long, ragged black hair, a giant nose, a grumpy frown showing two fang-like teeth sticking out from his bottom lip and angry eyes looking ready to smash anything he wants. He's dressed in a nice suit that is overshadowed by his monstrous appearance complete with his hands clasped together to show his long, filthy fingernails. And yet he sees Queen Serena look at the picture with a faint smile shown at the corner of her lips.

"That's who you're going to marry?" He asks in disbelief.

"Yes, this is my beloved Prince Calem," Serena answers robotically. "Don't you agree that he's very handsome?"

Ash stands there unable to say an honest word to the queen. In truth, he has never seen a being more ugly or monstrous in his life. The menacing look in the being's eyes gives Ash an uncomfortable chill in his spine.

" _Why would she view this...thing as handsome?_ " He thinks to himself. " _Is there something about him that she learned to love this Prince Calem despite his appearance over the last two years?_ "

Unknown to Ash as he stares at the woman he loves with a confounded look, a shadowy figure appears in the balcony above them. The figure let out a small, cold cackle as its eyes are fixed on Ash. Suddenly, Serena turns around and sees the shadowy figure up on the balcony and her lifeless smile grows ever so slightly.

"Ah, sister," she says.

"Sister?" Ash asks in confusion.

Before Serena can answer, however, the figure disappears in the shadows and Ash wonders where it went until he turns his head to see something standing a couple feet from him and Serena. It is a very tall, grossly skinny woman with a long, thin face, messy brown hair, held by an abnormally long neck and wearing a plain, black dress. Serena walks over and hugs the woman's right arm showing that the top of her head doesn't even reach this woman's shoulder.

"Serena, who do we have here?" The frightening woman asks while looking at Serena.

"Dear sister, I'd like you to meet our visitor, Ash," Serena says. "Ash, this is Prince Calem's sister, Madame Venus."

Ash doesn't respond right away as the tall woman's eyes snap over to him with a devilish grin.

"My what a cute little boy you are," she says with a cold, amused grin. "Yet you look rather skinny for a person of your age. Tell me; are you hungry for some supper?"

Ash feels goosebumps surround his body as his fear for Madame Venus grows from the sound of her voice. But then he turns to look at Serena who tilts her head slightly again as if she is also interested in Madame Venus' question.

"Uh… yeah, I suppose I am, but -" Ash says honestly before he finds Madame Venus suddenly standing behind him and placing her hands on his shoulders.

"There's no reason to be bashful around me, Ash," Madame Venus says with an eager grin. "Now come along and we'll fatten you up."

"Fatten me up?" Ash says nervously.

"Serena, go to your room," Madame Venus commands. "I'll be up shortly to tend to your makeup after I've taken care of the needs of this charming young man."

"Yes, Big Sister," Serena says in a dull voice as she robotically turns around and leaves.

"Wait, Your Highness," Ash says stretching out his arm to her and tries to walk over to her only to have Madame Venus hold him down with her firm grasp on his shoulders.

"Come along, Ash," Madame Venus says. "Princess Serena needs her rest. She has a big day tomorrow."

Ash tries to protest, but no words are coming out of his mouth. He feels a slight push as Madame Venus begins guiding him to another hall. The uncomfortable chill that Ash feels down his spine only grows as he sees more of the castle looking dark and grim only this time he doesn't have the presence of Queen Serena to give him some ease despite her abnormal demeanor.

Finally, he and Madame Venus reach the dining hall and the tall, scrawny woman gestures Ash to sit down at the end of the long table and heads to the kitchen. After a couple of minutes, she comes back with a hot bowl of soup and with a wave of her hand, the bowl flies out of her hand and gently lands in front of Ash without spilling the dish.

"Whoa, how did you do that?" Ash asks in amazement. "Do you possess magic?"

"Oh, don't worry about that, deary," Madame Venus says. "Just enjoy your meal. You will find it is most delicious."

Just then, Madame Venus makes another cold chuckle that instantly kills Ash's amazement. His eyes widen as he turns to Madame Venus with a fearful look. The woman frowns and raises her eyebrow suspiciously at his reaction.

"What's the matter? Didn't you say you were hungry?" She asks starting to sound impatient.

"I...I...I know your voice," Ash says. "It was you."

"What are you talking about?" Madame Venus demands.

"You were the one behind this," Ash says. "It was your voice in the sky on Queen Serena's birthday. If you have magic, then you must be the person with magic that the mouse was talking about. It was you who abducted her and the castle up here."

Madame Venus' eyes widen and her glare turns more menacing.

"What mouse?" She demands further. "What did it tell you?"

"I'm not saying anything," Ash says starting to become angry as the woman's refusal to answer him confirms his suspicions. "What did you do to Queen Serena?"

"My dear boy Serena is a princess and not a queen and if you ever wish to see the light of day again, you will tell me what this mouse told you," Madame Venus commands.

At this point, Ash's fear turns into complete anger as it hits him that this magical woman is responsible for all the pain and misery that he, Brock, Iris, Maynor and everyone else living in Kalos are going through. He begins to stand up, but with a wave of her hand, Madame Venus uses her magic to force him to stay sitting on the chair and stand still.

"What have you done with Queen Serena's memory?" He screams. "Where are Holly and Cilan and General Wulfric and everyone else you kidnapped?!"

"Silence and eat your soup!" Madame Venus hisses.

"No, I won't!" Ash yells. "Let me go! Let me -"

Ash's scream drowns out as Madame Venus forces a spoonful of the soup into his mouth and forces him to swallow it. Ash realizes too late that there's some kind of drug inside the soup as he feels funny and his face makes a goofy look. He lets out a soft groan before he loses his consciousness and his head drops. Madame Venus releases her magical force on Ash's body and he falls off the chair.

"Finally," the woman says with a huff. "That brat was more stubborn than I expected. But it is unsettling that those mice found a way to communicate with him. I'll need to figure out a spell to force him to tell me where those rodents are and how he made his way up here."

The woman then proceeds to pick up the drugged, raven-haired man and begins to carry him only to hear the sound of loud footsteps coming her way. Her eyes widen in fear as she knows what's coming.

"Curse it all, Calem's home," she grumbles. "I don't have enough time to turn this brat into a mouse to get my stupid brother off his scent. What do I do?"

The wicked woman looks around in panic until she gets an idea and races into the kitchen and puts Ash inside a giant cauldron hanging above the kitchen fireplace. She then sighs as she waves her hand and a tray with wheels containing an enormous bowl full of giant bones of mutton appears. She wheels the tray to the dining hall and makes Ash's bowl of soup disappear with another wave of her hand just in time before her brother arrives.

The tall, entrance to the dining hall opens to reveal Calem standing over fifteen feet tall, wearing plain, dirty, green clothes and groaning like the nearly mindless monster he is as he robotically sits at the table using two chairs to support him.

"And just where in the world have you been, you brainless oaf?" Madame Venus questions angrily to pretend she's not hiding something. "Where you off chasing snakes and birds again?"

But the giant doesn't say anything in response or even look at his sister. Instead, he takes the bowl of giant muttons and one by one eats them by simply picking them up by the bone and sucking the meat out with his mouth before laying the bone on the table.

"Have you forgotten that tomorrow is your wedding day?" Madame Venus rebukes. "Start acting like a man! I won't have you brooding anymore just because that's all you did back when we were living in a cave that barely fit your big, ugly rump. We've been living in this castle for almost two years now and you still lack the ability to act like a social being. It's little wonder your attempts to woo that precious, self-made queen fell into nothing but her screaming over how much she was dying to marry some so-called 'wonderful man' from Kalos."

Once again, Calem the giant is saying nothing as he continues to eat his food.

"Not to mention how I had to turn the people we took with her into mice so that you wouldn't eat them thus making things more difficult for us when we come to their country proving that we are their rightful rulers after showing that their former queen is alive and married," Madame Venus continues. "I much prefer living in a castle rather than how we use to live so you'll just have to get used to acting like royalty. Is that clear? That means no one we abducted gets harmed to show that we are their rightful, trustworthy rulers.

Again, the repulsive giant says nothing as if his ears are covered with cloth or he is in his own little world that his sister cannot snap him out of. Madame Venus scoffs and sits down in a chair secretly grumbling against her brother. But then, Calem pauses in the middle of eating and his eye immediately turns to the kitchen. Madame Venus becomes uneasy as she sees her brother turn to the kitchen entrance, gets down on all fours and sniffs like a dog.

"W-what? What is it? What's wrong with you?" she demands, trying to stay in control.

"I smell a human," Calem bellows in a deep, dim-witted voice. "I smell...a man."

"No, that's not possible," Madame Venus says panicking as she races to the kitchen. "There are no humans in the land of the clouds but Serena. Even you know that, you mindless ape!"

But the scrawny woman's claims fall on deaf ears. The giant's instincts have taken over his mind as he crawls into the kitchen with Madame Venus trying to hold him back by grabbing his shirt.

"Stop!" she pleads as she pulls on Calem's shirt with all her pitiful might. "Don't come in! You're making a mistake!"

It is no use. The giant knocks over tables and barrels of food and drink as he makes his way to the cauldron. He stretches out his hand to open it until his sister stands in front of it.

"Alright, I admit it," she says frantically. "I'm hiding a young man and I give you my word I'll share him with you. But we cannot eat him until I get the information I need from him. I forbid you to eat him now!"

But the witless giant grabs his sister and moves her aside like a toy and grabs the cauldron like a little child stealing the cookie jar. He takes off the lid only to look confused and let out a dumbfounded groan.

"What is it? What's wrong?" Madame Venus asks.

The giant puts down the cauldron to show that it's empty. Madame Venus' eyes widen before she frowns and turns to her giant brother.

"Get that cursed brat, you peabrain!" she snarls. "He's somewhere in the castle. Find him before he gets away!"

The mindless brute makes a grumpy frown and he growls in understanding. He stands up and storms out. Madame Venus scoffs in annoyance and she kicks a stool standing next to her.

"Of all the confounded luck. That imp just had to somehow recover from my drug so quickly. I just hope he somehow doesn't find his way in the queen's room and I have to explain to her what our 'guest' Ash is doing in her quarters," She grumbles before she stops walking and scratches her chin. "Come to think of it, why does his name sound familiar? I could have sworn I've heard that name somewhere. Maybe it's back when that wretched queen was -"

Madame Venus gasps loudly and her eyes widen with horror.

"NO!" she shrieks.


	5. Chapter 5

Brock runs as fast as he can as he carries an unconscious Ash. He follows the mouse wearing the pink dress down the hall trying to find a place to hide as fast as they can knowing that Calem and Madame Venus are likely not far from catching up to find Ash.

"Just my luck that you got yourself into trouble, Ash," Brock says as he hustles.

It isn't long before the tall man and the mouse hear a beastly growl echoing from far behind them. The mouse squeaks in fear as they make it to a large hall. The mouse runs over to the other side and points at a table before standing under it. Brock nods in understanding as he runs over to her and hides under the table with Ash. The raven-haired man snores softly as Brock and the mouse peck from under the table with dread. No sooner do they hide than they hear Calem's heavy footsteps get louder and louder until finally, the monstrous giant enters the hall. Calem scans the area as he slowly puts one of his long feet over the other. He walks over to the table and suddenly sits on it, surprisingly not breaking it and crushing the two men and the mouse underneath it. Brock feels his heart racing as he dares to look up from his hiding spot to see Calem scratching his nose in thought.

Suddenly, Brock and the mouse hear a soft groan and they turn to see Ash slowly coming to. Their eyes widen as the raven-haired man slowly gets up.

"Wha...wha ha -" Ash begins before Brock quickly covers his mouth and holds him down. Ash struggles and tries to speak despite Brock's hand blocking his mouth.

"Quiet, Ash," Brock hisses. "Stay still. The giant is right above us."

"Giant? What giant?" Ash whispers carefully after Brock lets go of his mouth.

But before Brock can answer, they hear another growl from Calem. The giant stands up again and turns around to face the table. Ash, Brock, and the mouse silently gulp as Calem gets down on one knee and gets ready to lift the table.

"Calem!"

Calem turns around and sees Madame Venus glaring down at him on the second-floor balcony.

"Stop crawling around like an overgrown beetle and find Ash before he gets away!" she barks before she leaves.

Calem stands up and stares at where his sister was with an irritated glare. He begins grumbling incoherent words at the balcony as if his sister is still there and he is making an angry comeback. He then makes gestures with his hands, mentally imagining himself strangling Madame Venus or breaking her in half like a toothpick as he snarls venomously.

"That looks like our chance. Let's go," Brock whispers.

Ash and the mouse nod in agreement. The three of them quietly crawl out from under the table and tiptoe out of the hall. When they get far enough, they run as fast as they can just in time for Calem to turn back to the table and finally lift it up only for there to be nothing under it.

"Where are we going?" Ash asks.

"We're following the mouse," Brock says pointing at the mouse which is leading them. "She's the one that showed me a secret passageway to the kitchen to save you."

"Wait, there's a secret passageway?" Ash asks confused. "Since when was there something like that in Lumiose Castle?"

"If I had to guess, there might be more to our old home than what we originally knew," Brock says. "So I'm hoping she knows another one where we can hide."

Ash nods in understanding before the mouse squeaks and turns to a nearby wall. She presses on a stone and the wall turns to reveal a secret passageway. Ash and Brock look at each other in surprise before entering the passageway and the mouse closes it behind them. She leads them to a dark, narrow hall until they see a small room where a dozen other mice are chattering to each other while standing up dressed like people. The two men stare at this in confusion until the mouse with the pink dress squeaks louder than the rest and they all turn around to see her pointing at Ash and Brock. Suddenly, all the other mice squeak with joy as they walk over to Ash and Brock visibly happy to see them. Two of them in particular, a fat one dressed like a general and a skinny one dressed like a minstrel appear to be the most pleased to see the two men as they are standing right in front of Ash and Brock and squeaking with the most cheer as if they were reunited with very close friends.

"Why are all of these mice happy to see us?" Ash asks.

"I don't know," Brock answers. "I guess they all think we're their hope in stopping Calem and Madame Venus from something, but I don't know what."

"I think I'm beginning to know what it is," Ash says. "Before I was drugged, I figured out that Madame Venus is the voice from the sky who abducted Queen Serena and the castle."

Brock turns to his friend with a concerned look.

"Are you sure?" He asks.

"Yes," Ash answers seriously. "I realized it when she was chuckling. It was distinctly the exact same one I heard up in the sky on Queen Serena's birthday. And when I spoke up about it, she was cross."

The mice squeak as they nod their heads in agreement.

"Wait, are you all saying he's right that this Madame Venus is responsible for bringing the castle up here?" Brock asks.

Again, the mice nod yes while Ash shakes his head in disbelief.

"And to top it all, this Calem, this...giant is the prince that Queen Serena is engaged to," Ash says disdainfully. "Something is fishy if he's the brother of the woman who kidnapped her."

"But where is everyone else?" Brock says with a worried look in his voice. "We still don't know what happened to everyone else who was caught in that green fire. Not General Wulfric, or Cilan or...Holly."

The mouse in the pink dress looks at Brock sadly as she hears the eagerness and pain dripping in his voice as he says that last name. She walks over to him and grabs the bottom of his pants and gives him a grieving look. The fat and skinny mice, on the other hand, begin squeaking eagerly at Brock and Ash, looking as if they are trying to respond to what Brock just said.

"What are you trying to say?" Ash demands. "Do any of you know what happened to Queen Serena and everyone else here?"

All of the mice begin to chatter energetically in their high-pitched voices. Suddenly, they are silenced by the fat mouse dressed as a general who appears to order them to be silent before making a declaration. The skinny mouse dressed as a minstrel and the mouse in the pink dress let out what sounds like squeaks of agreement to Ash and Brock before the fat one runs to the other side of the room and opens another passageway. The fat one gestures everyone to follow him and Ash and Brock look at each other before they shrug and follow the mice.

The mysterious hallway is as dark and narrow as the first one. Ash and Brock struggle to make out where they are going while the mice are running ahead of them. The fat mouse leads the group through different turns as they walk until they come across another door. The fat mouse points at the door handle and Brock nods in understanding before turning the knob and opens the door.

Ash and Brock freeze in surprise when they realize the door leads to a large room full of treasure. Huge piles of large, gold coins and chests full of jewelry fill the entire area. Torches are lit up all around to make the shiny gold and jewelry shine brightly as the two men enter the room with the mice in shock.

"Isn't this the castle treasury?" Ash says in astonishment. "I thought we didn't have this much before the castle was abducted."

"We didn't," Brock says seriously. "I remember coming with Queen Serena whenever she needed to visit the treasury and she only had a comfortable amount of money compared to the kings in the other kingdoms. She spent so much of what her father gained during his rule just to benefit the people."

A small smile emerges from Ash's face.

"Yeah, that was her alright; thinking about others rather than herself," he says before picking up a large coin. "But what are these things doing here then? This coin alone is almost bigger than my hand."

"I don't know," Brock says as he picks up another large coin. "They must belong to Calem and Madame Venus.

"HELP! HELP!"

The two men jump in alarm as they turn around to see a golden hard standing on top of the biggest pile of coins. The harp's strings move frantically as if it is using them to scream loudly in a high-pitched, feminine voice.

"HELP! HELP, MASTER!" the harp screams. "TWO FILTHY FARMERS ARE TRYING TO ROB YOU MASTER! STOP THEM! STOP THEM AT ONCE! HELP! HELP! HE -"

The harp is suddenly silenced when the fat mouse orders four of the other mice to grab the harp by its strings thus stopping it from screaming. Ash and Brock stare at the display dumbfounded as the mice hold on to the strings making the harp's apparent voice sound muffled.

"Brock is it just me or did I just hear that harp speak?" Ash asks.

"It's not you, Ash. I heard it too," Brock says in shock.

But then the mouse in the pink dress pulls on Brock's pants and points at the harp squeaking.

"What is it?" Brock asks the mouse. "Do you want us to talk to it?"

The mouse nods eagerly.

"I don't know," Brock says hesitantly. "How can we convince this harp to answer any of our questions?"

Ash scratches his chin in thought for a moment before he snaps his fingers.

"I got it," he says before he climbs up to the top of the pile of coins and gives the harp a friendly look. "Most beautiful golden harp in all the world, the mice tell us we must speak with you which tells us you are a harp of great wisdom that two farmers like us cannot comprehend. Please answer our questions and we swear on the honor of our beloved kingdom of Kalos that we will never take so much as a ha'penny from your master's wonderful treasury."

The mice holding on to the harp's strings look at each other and carefully let go. The harp clears its magical voice before speaking to Ash.

"You may not be as simple as your status suggests, farmer," she says. "That said, I have decided to answer your questions even though I know you are only flattering me to get information."

The mice smile in anticipation while Brock remains hesitant.

"I still don't know," he says. "Do you promise to tell the truth, magic harp?"

"The truth is all I speak, simpleton," the harp answers firmly. "Now ask away and get out."

"Right," Ash says in understanding. "My first question is does Queen Serena really love Prince Calem?"

"And what exactly happened here and where is my fiance?" Brock asks.

"Both of these questions can be answered in one explanation. So listen closely," the harp commands. "Here in the land of the clouds, My masters, Calem and Madame Venus, lived in a cave most of their lives after their parents died. Lady Venus was eager to use her brilliant magic to gain power by becoming a queen, but all she had to work with was her brother and this incredible treasury their parents left behind. So with her magic, she began to look for an opportunity to become the ruler of one the mighty kingdoms in your land. Once, she discovered your country, Kalos was ruled not by a king but a young queen, she decided to kidnap her and her majestic castle."

Ash frowns seriously as it hits him why Madame Venus has caused so much misery upon the people of Kalos and himself for her selfish needs.

"So by bringing Queen Serena to the land of the clouds, she could get Master Calem to woo the queen into marriage and thus they would become royalty," The Harp continues. "The problem was, however, that the queen was strongly resilient to my master's advances. She would rebuke him and firmly state that her heart belonged to someone else. She was constantly demanding that they bring her back to her people so that she could be with the one she was profoundly in love with."

Ash's frown of anger turns into one of sadness as he wonders who could be the one to steal the heart of the woman he loves so firmly as the harp continues.

"So after over a year of Master Calem trying to win the Queen's heart while keeping her a prisoner in her own castle, Madame Venus conjured up a powerful spell on Queen Serena. She brainwashed her into believing she has always been the ruler of the land of the clouds and she is only a princess, thus making Madame Venus a queen by having the real queen publicly give her that title when she uses her magic to bring the castle back to your world and show that my masters are royalty by marriage. Thus for the last several months, Madame Venus has been using her magic to make the queen begin to act more in love with Master Calem. The only problem is the spell has to be put on every day. By nightfall when Queen Serena is asleep she's back to her normal self but is incapable of doing anything about it because she is fast asleep. As soon as she wakes up in the morning, she remains under Madame Venus' spell."

"She's only normal when she's asleep?" Ash repeats in surprise.

"But what about Holly, Cilan, General Wulfric, and the rest of the people who were kidnapped?" Brock demands.

"Master Calem has an uncontrollable hunger for human flesh with the exception of Queen Serena because he is shallowly smitten by her undeniable beauty," the harp replies. "As a result, Madame Venus turned everyone else she abducted into mice."

At that, Ash and Brock's eyes widen, shocked at what they just heard.

"What did you say?" Ash asks.

"You heard what I said, boy," the harp rebukes. "All these filthy, mice you see before you are the very people who Madame Venus captured with the queen almost two years ago, including General Wulfric as that particularly fat mouse in military clothes, Cilan as the skinny mouse dressed as a minstrel and the mouse in the pink dress is your so-called fiance, Holly."

The two men are speechless. They look down to see the fat and skinny mice who are apparently General Wulfric and Cilan respectively looking pleased to see that the truth is finally revealed. But none of the mice are as relieved to have their identities disclosed as the one with the pink dress. Brock looks down on his feet to see her still clinging on to the bottom of his pants with a sad look. He gets down on one knee and lowers his hand for the mouse to get on and holds the mouse up to his face.

"Holly?" he asks in shock. "Is that really you?"

The mouse in the pink dress begins to let out tiny tears as it nods and hugs Brock's thumb once again as if it is her beloved fiance himself. Ash looks at the display with a sad look as tears run down Brock's face.

"Oh Holly," he whimpers as he holds the mouse close to his face. "After all this time thinking you were...were…"

Holly doesn't hesitate to let go of Brock's thump and hug as much of her beloved fiance's face as she can with all her little might. After a moment of crying, Brock turns to the harp with a pleading look.

"I-i-is there anything we can do to free them?" he begs.

"I'm afraid as long as Madame Venus is alive, there is no way to reverse the curse that these creatures are in," The harp says plainly.

"What about Queen Serena?" Ash demands. "Do we have to kill Madame Venus in order to free her from her spell too?"

"No, the princess must be kissed by someone truly brave and courageous," the harp answers. "Only that will break her spell."

Ash's face turns red as he imagines the idea of actually kissing the woman he loves.

"Someone truly brave," he asks bashfully. "Gosh after all these years I hope I'm brave enough to even try."

The mice snicker at his words, clearly amused that the former esquire is still bashful over his obvious feelings for their queen while the harp sounds disgusted.

"Ew, a smelly farmer kissing a woman of royalty?" She rebukes before it laughs mockingly at Ash. The raven-haired man frowns, hurt by her words until Brock places his free hand on his friend's shoulder.

"Ash, you have to do it," he says. "If you can muster the courage to kiss the queen then she will be free and maybe with her leadership and her knowledge against her captors, we can take down Madame Venus and Calem and free everyone else from their curse."

"I don't know if I can," Ash says. "I never had the courage to tell her how I feel even when I was by her side every day. What chance do I have to actually kiss her even if she's been brainwashed to not act like the woman I love?"

Brock frowns concerned and scratches his chin in thought until he gets an idea.

"Hey Holly, Cilian, General Wulfric, are there any secret passageways we can use to get to Queen Serena's bedroom.

The mice nod in response.

"Good," he says before turning to Ash. "If we can sneak into her room while she is sleeping, we can bring her back to the mice's hiding place where she will be safe from our enemies and you can take all the time you need to kiss her thus setting her free. Plus, that way we can also use their hiding spot as a place for the Queen to plan a way to defeat Madame Venus thus freeing everyone else."

Ash hesitates with his friend's idea but then sighs in defeat.

"Alright," he says. "I can't guarantee I will have the courage to kiss her, but if we do this then I at least she will be kept from Madame Venus' grasp if not her control and Calem will not be able to marry her."

"Agreed," Brock says before turning to the mice. "Show us the way."

It has been an hour since Queen Serena has been sent to her room to wait for Madame Venus. Since then, she has been robotically twirling and jumping for unenergetic joy as she hums a song. She grabs a large, red coat and dances with it pretending that it is a living person before standing in front of a mirror and holding the coat up before giggling dully.

"Calem!" she suddenly calls out in a monotone, singing voice.

It takes a moment before the sound of loud footsteps echo around the area until the brutish giant enters her room with a childish lovestruck look on his face.

"You called me, Princess?" Calem bellows.

"Yes, I want you to try on this coat," Serena replies. "It would please me so much if you wear this on our wedding tomorrow."

Calem tilts his head and smiles in what he thinks is a goofy, silly way despite his ugly face and he gently picks up the coat that Serena is holding with his long fingernails before holding up in front of him pretending that he has it on.

"Now you look even more handsome," Serena says as she stares at him with her lifeless blue eyes.

Calem grins as he stares back at the queen's undeniable beauty. His moment of shallow bliss is short-lived, however, when Madame Venus enters the room while holding a small purple box.

"Calem, I trust you found that precious item?" She asks with a glare.

Calem hangs his head shamefully and shakes it.

"Then you better search some more until you find it!" his sister barks.

The giant grumbles menacingly as he slowly storms out of the room while secretly giving his sister a hateful look. Madame Venus scoffs at the giant's incompetence before walking over to Serena with a fake loving smile.

"Did you lose something?" Serena asks.

"Nothing to worry your pretty head about, my dear," the tall, scrawny woman replies. "Come, let's freshen your makeup."

The honey blonde woman obeys without a word as she and Madame Venus sit on her bed and the wicked woman opens the purple box. A strange aroma comes out from the box and makes its way to Serena's face. Madame Venus begins moving her hands in front of the Queen's face as she mumbles out in incantation. Serena's slowly closes her eyes as her captor looks at her with an evil grin.

"Tomorrow you are going to marry Prince Calem and it shall be that happiest day of your life," she says as her grin grows. "Then we will go to Kalos where you shall anoint me as queen and I will rule your pretty kingdom. I've waited so long for this and soon everything will be mine. Before long I will use my magic and wealth to make myself the most powerful queen the world has ever known."

Madame Venus chuckles evilly as she closes the box.

"Now go to sleep, my child," she commands. "Tomorrow is going to be a day we will long remember."

The Queen robotically obeys as Madame Venus helps her get under the covers of the bed. Serena lets out a long sigh as she gets comfortable with her eyes still closed.

"Good night, Madame Venus," she says. "I cannot wait until we officially become sisters-in-law."

"Neither can I, Princess," Madame Venus says putting emphasis on the word 'princess with a hint of wicked glee in her voice. "Good night."

Without another word, the wicked woman leaves the room leaving Serena alone to fall asleep.

A couple hours past and it is now completely nighttime. Serena is fast asleep as a wall slowly opens to reveal Ash and Brock sneaking into the room.

"You know, I'm feeling uncomfortable coming to the Queen's room like this," Ash whispers nervously.

"Ash, I need you to focus here," Brock whispers back. "Remember, we're trying to keep her away from her captors so that they can't take over Kalos."

Ash sighs, reluctantly admitting that his friend is right. The two men then tiptoe to the queen's bed to see her sleeping peacefully. Ash smiles fondly as he sees a small, sincere smile on Serena's face as she sleeps.

"Ash!" Brock hisses.

Ash snaps out of his gaze and chuckles nervously.

"Sorry," he whispers as he scratches the back of his head. "It's been too long since I've seen her smile like -"

"Ash?"

The two men jump startled as they turn to Serena who just called the raven-haired man's name softly.

"Ash?" She asks again in her sleep. "Ash, where are you?"

Ash and Brock look at each other surprised before the latter shrugs.

"Guess it's like the harp said," Brock says. "When she's sleeping, she's her normal self."

Ash nods in acknowledgment before he gets an idea and kneels in front of the bed facing Serena.

"I'm here, Your Highness," he says quietly.

Serena smiles briefly in her sleep until she frowns disapprovingly.

"I thought I told you to stop calling me that," she mumbles.

Ash chuckles softly and calmly replies. "Sorry, Serena, old habits die hard."

"Evidently," Serena says before letting out a soft giggle in her sleep that makes Ash's heart melt.

"Listen to me, Serena," Ash whispers. "Brock and I are going to get you out of here and hide you where Madame Venus and Calem can't use you for their evil plan."

Serena smiles brightly in her sleep.

"Oh, my loyal esquire and captain please do," she mutters.

"As you wish, Your Majesty," Brock says before turning to Ash. "Let's do this carefully. If she wakes up, she might turn back to being brainwashed and alert her captives."

"Right," Ash says in understanding.

The two men slowly get on the bed and Brock proceeds to relieve the queen of her bed covers. As he does, however, Serena speaks again.

"Ash? Ash?" she mumbles.

"I'm here, Serena," Ash says.

The Queen smiles again as Brock gets ready to lift her off the bed.

"Ash, there is something very important I have to tell you," she whispers.

Ash looks at her curiously until he clears his throat.

"You can tell me after we rescue you," he says.

"No," Serena whimpers. "No, I need to tell you now."

"Now might not be the best time, Your Highness," Brock says. "We need to get you out of here before -"

But at that moment, a low growl is heard from the shadows. Ash and Brock freeze in place before they slowly turn around to see Calem standing at the bedroom entrance and giving the two men a menacing look. The giant and the two men stare at each other in silence until Serena mumbles again.

"Ash? Ash where are you?" She mutters.

Suddenly, Calem roars in anger and charges after the two men. Ash and Brock jump out of the bed just in time to dodge Calem's large hand. They move back until they are standing by the bedroom balcony and Calem is standing between them and Serena.

"What do we do?" Ash asks.

Brock frowns before he says, "We need to escape."

"But what about the Queen?" Ash protests.

But Calem roars in bloodthirsty anger and runs after them.

"No time. Climb off the balcony!" Brock shouts.

Ash doesn't hesitate to obey as the two men turn around and climb off the balcony just in time to avoid getting pummeled by the giant. Calem roars angrily as he gets up and starts climbing down the balcony after the two men. With all three of them gone, Serena's room is in silence again until she begins whimpering in worry in her sleep.

"Ash, where are you?" She whines in her sleep again as worry overtakes her face. "Ash, please talk to me. Ash, please tell me you're here! Ash? Ash?! Ash!"


	6. Chapter 6

Ash and Brock are running through the castle courtyard as fast as they can. As soon as they climbed their way down from Serena's bedroom, they begin running for their lives only for Calem to come down with a crash causing a hole on the stone ground. The enraged giant roars before grabbing large chunks of the rubble he created and throws them at Ash and Brock. The two men barely dodge the stones thrown at them.

"We got to lose him!" Brock yells.

"But how?" Ash asks.

Just then, a giant boulder flies right above Ash and Brock and crashes onto a column that falls right in front of their path. The giant lets out a deep, menacing chuckle as he catches up with them and prepares to throw another giant boulder. In a moment of desperation, Brock takes out his sword and throws it at Calem. The sword impales Calem on his chest, but the giant merely grunts in annoyance before pulling it out and dropping it on the floor. Calem then proceeds to throw the boulder at Ash and Brock who barely jump out of the way in time.

As Ash gets up to run again, he notices the well where he, Brock and Holly climbed out of and gets an idea.

"Brock, follow me to the well," he calls out.

Brock looks at Ash curiously as he too gets up but doesn't hesitate to obey his friend as he ducks just in time to avoid another boulder thrown by Calem and runs after Ash. The two men run as fast as their legs can carry them while the giant leaps over the fallen column and storms after them. As soon as they make it to the well, Ash stands on top of the well and gives Brock a serious look.

"When I say so, we're gonna jump into the well," he says.

"Jump into the well? Ash, are you crazy?" Brock asks horrified.

"We're going to fall right onto the beanstalk and pretend we fell to our deaths," Ash explains.

"But we could miss it and actually fall to our deaths," Brock says.

"What choice do we have?" Ash challenges.

Brock looks away and hesitates for a proper response, but his train of thought is interrupted by another growl from Calem. Brock shakes his head before standing on top of the wall well with Ash and they both nod before they simultaneously jump into the well. Calem stops running and stands there surprised as he hears the two men letting out screams of horror as Ash and Brock fall deep into the well until they land right on top of the Beanstalk and grab its branches before they fall off. They continue to scream until they slowly lower their voices to indicate that they have fallen all the way to the ground where they cannot be heard. Calem walks over to the well and peaks inside in disbelief only to see nothing but darkness inside the well that covers Ash and Brock hanging on to the Beanstalk. The giant keep staring until he slowly chuckles and lets out a cruel grin.

"Goodbye," he bellows before he turns around and walks away. Ash and Brock wait a moment until Calem's footsteps can no longer be heard and they let out sighs of relief.

"Okay, that was a decent plan," Brock admits before giving Ash a serious glare. "But don't ever come up with something like that again."

"Fair enough, Brock," Ash says with a toothy grin. "Fair enough."

Back in the mice's secret hideout, Holly, Cilan, General Wulfric, and the rest of the people turned into mice wait eagerly for Ash and Brock to return with their queen. General Wulfric paces back and forth in frustration while Cilan, Holly, and the other mice stare at the floor with worry covering their faces. Holly begins to worry that something terrible happened to her beloved fiance and is eager to see his face again.

Suddenly, the mice hear footsteps coming from the hall and they watch with anticipation as Brock and Ash enter the hideout with looks of defeat. General Wulfric glares at the two men and begins squeaking angrily. Ash and Brock look at each other before they sigh sadly.

"We couldn't bring back the queen," Brock says apologetically. "Calem suddenly came into her room and chased us down."

The mice look at the tall man devastated and begin to let out tiny cries in response to his news.

"The good news is we managed to fake our deaths so that probably means Calem and consequently Madame Venus won't go looking for us," Ash says. "But what was he even doing going to her room."

"Hunting you filthy simpletons down, of course."

Ash and Brock look around confused until General Wulfric grumbles and gestures some of the other mice to come in showing that they have the magic harp.

"Honestly, you worms were stupid to think I would not squeal at my own master after you came up with your plan right where I could hear you," The harp rebukes. "When all of you were gone, Master Calem had come to the treasury to look for you and I told him everything. What did you expect when he and Madame Venus are my masters?"

Ash, Brock and the mice glare angrily at the harp. Ash stomps toward it and picks it up with an angry look.

"Give me one good reason I shouldn't take out my sword and cut your strings right now," he growls.

"You wouldn't do that," the harp says plainly. "You have too much of a kind heart to harm a hostage. Your threats mean nothing to me."

Ash keeps his angry glare fixed on the harp for a moment before he sighs.

"You're right, I'm not that kind of person," he says stepping back before turning to Brock. "But I think Brock is desperate enough to turn Holly back into a human to not care about your strings. Is that right, Brock?"

Brock merely takes out his sword again and points it at the harp with a menacing look. The harp yelps in fear.

"Alright, alright, I promise never to snitch on you two again!" it cries out in a panic. "I'm only capable of speaking the truth so you must know that I mean it!"

Brock and Ash keep looking down at the harp with Brock's sword pointed at it for a few seconds before Brock slowly puts his weapon away. The harp sighs in relief as Brock turns away to kneel down so that Holly can hop on his hand and hug his thumb affectionately, glad to see that he's alright. The tall man smiles at the sight of the woman he loves looking so happy despite still being a mouse before turning to Ash.

"So what do we do now?" He asks. "I mean we can try again with retrieving the queen now that Calem thinks we're dead and the harp can't snitch on us again."

"Maybe," Ash says. "But then I would still need to work out having the courage to kiss her while we keep her here."

"If I may intervene, I must point out that, that wouldn't work," the harp says.

"What? Why not?" Brock asks.

"It is as I said, the queen must be kissed by someone brave and courageous," the harp answers. "I'm afraid that it is clear that this man doesn't even have the courage to be upfront with his feelings for her much less kiss her. If he is just kissing her here with little true meaning behind it, then the spell won't break. He must face what he fears concerning the outcome of the kiss in order to show his bravery."

Ash stares at the harp surprised by what she said and thinks about it for a moment before he reluctantly accepts the truth.

"She's right," he says. "I have always been afraid of how Queen Serena would react if I tried to act on my feelings since we were children. I believed that any attempt I made would result in rejection no matter how much she would let me down with the most sincere care. As a result, I have always been afraid to show so much as a hint of my affections to her even if everyone else in the kingdom knew how I feel. If I am supposed to break the spell, I have to do it in a way that shows I'm not afraid of what happens after I dare kiss her."

Brock hesitates before he says, "Okay, I guess that makes sense, but how are you going to do that?"

Ash pauses for a moment before he says, "We have to wait until the wedding starts and when the two of them are at the altar, that's when I'll break in and kiss her."

The mice all squeak out little gasps and even Brock stares at his friend surprised.

"Ash, that's crazy," Brock says. "You could get pummeled by Calem before you get close to her."

"Not if we take him and Madame Venus by surprise," Ash points out. "Besides, facing the danger of getting killed just to free her from her mental prison is probably another good way to show my bravery."

"This is true," the harp says. "If you prove yourself willing to risk your life in order to do the deed then that should further secure the spell breaking."

Brock becomes uneasy after hearing all of this. He then turns to Holly who is still holding on to his thumb and is looking back at him.

"What do you think, Holly? Should he do it?" He asks.

Holly nods making the tall man sigh as he would never disagree with the woman who has his heart. He turns to Cilan and General Wulfric who also nod in agreement. Even the other mice nod and let out squeaks of support. Brock thinks about the position he is in before turning back to Ash.

"Fine, but I'm coming with you," he says before giving Ash a teasing look. "Someone has to make sure Madame Venus and Calem don't intervene while you finally get some smooching time with Her Highness."

Ash's face turns red much to the amusement of everyone around him.

"F-fine," he manages to say. "The Queen and I are probably gonna need help getting out to there as soon as she's free."

Brock nods in agreement with a smirk and Ash looks away with a blush still on his face as he feels his heart swelling, knowing that he is going to actually kiss the woman he loves.

It is the day of Calem and Serena's wedding. The Queen is up in her room looking at herself dressed in a simple wedding gown in the mirror. The honey blonde woman has a bland smile on her face as her brainwashed mind convinces itself that she is wearing the most beautiful dress in the world.

Meanwhile, down in the castle chapel, Madame Venus is cutting out large pieces of paper into people figures and laying them on all of the seats in the chapel. Calem is pacing back and forth in his groom suit with a gleeful look in his ugly face. Neither the giant or his magical sister are able to contain their excitement as their evil plan is soon to finally come into full motion. Madame Venus was thrilled when Calem told her that Ash and his companion fell to their deaths. She was surprised to learn that there was another man in a castle the entire time, but deep down all that mattered was that the raven-haired man, in particular, is out of the way.

After Madame Venus puts the last paper figure on top of the altar, she waves her hand and immediately the figures all come to life and stand up. The one at the altar picks up a bible and with another wave of Madame Venus' hand, a mouth appears on its face.

"Let us begin the ceremony," the figure commands in a strangely high pitched voice.

"An excellent idea, puppet," Madame Venus says with a mischievous grin. "Calem, collect your bride."

The giant nods his head excitedly before he races out of the chapel. Madame Venus' grin grows as she is unable to contain her enthusiasm.

"Oh, I've waited such a long, long, time for this," she says to herself. "Soon I shall rule Kalos just as we planned and when the time is right, I will dispose of my dimwitted brother and that stubborn bride of his and I shall proceed to take over the world. And to think my plans were almost spoiled just because of that annoying brat's presence."

The wicked woman let out a maniacal laugh and begins to pace back and forth just like her brother as she waits for him to return with his wife-to-be. It isn't long, however, before she hears a loud knock on the door to let her know that Calem and Serena are on the other side. With an evil cackle, she waves her hand once more and music loudly begins to play out of thin air. She runs over to the door and knocks before standing back to allow Calem to enter the room and walk down the aisle with Serena sitting on his arm. Madame Venus puts her hands together with wicked joy as Calem puts Serena down and they stand in front of the altar as the paper priest sings.

watch?v=yT14LUuSEm8

 _Two of you stand here in front of me tonight._

 _Are you happy?_

 _It's your wish to be married now, am I right?_

 _Are you happy?_

 _Will you stay together till you're old and gray?_

 _Can you stand living with each other till that day?_

 _Well then can you?_

 _Sickness and in health,_

 _Will you help each other out?_

 _Will you share your wealth?_

 _You must tell me if you have any doubt!_

 _Is this the man whom you take as your husband?_

 _Tell me if he is._

 _Is this the woman you take as your wife?_

 _Tell me is she?_

 _Are you two in love?_

 _Speak if it's true._

 _Do you love this man?_

 _Do you?_

 _And this woman too?_

 _Speak if you do._

 _Are you in love?_

 _Are you?_

As the paper priest sings, Madame Venus stares at Serena with a mischievous grin.

"Yes, they will be very happy," she says in her mind. "A perfect match. Say that you love him, Serena. Say that you love him. I command that you say that you love him."

The tall, scrawny woman stares at her brainwashed prisoner in anticipation as she waits for Serena to speak. Calem also turns to his bride eager to say the very words he wants to hear. With all eyes on the brainwashed queen both her captives and her animated audience, Serena stares blankly as she tries to speak.

"I…" she says. "I...I love -"

"STOP!"

Madame Venus and Calem look around in confusion until the music suddenly stops and Ash and Brock break through the glass window behind the altar with Brock's sword drawn. Madame Venus becomes so shocked that she loses control of her paper people and they fall down on the floor lifeless.

"Stop this at once!" Ash yells angrily. "A wedding done with magic tricks is no wedding at all!"

"So you didn't fall into the bottomless well after all," Madame Venus growls angrily. "You're going to wish you had, you filthy wretch!"

"Try it, lady," Brock says threateningly with his sword pointed at the wicked woman and her giant brother. "Ash, go now!"

Ash nods and runs over to Serena. His angry face fades as he stares at her beautiful face.

"Oh, Queen Serena," he says wholeheartedly. "If you can hear me, I want you to know from the bottom of my heart that no matter what happens I wish I could have this moment with you under far better circumstances."

With that, he silently prays to The Lord to give him strength before he places his hand on Serena's cheek and kisses her full on the lips.

The entire chapel is silent as everyone watches the raven-haired man pour out all of his love for the Queen of Kalos as he presses his lips against Serena's. After several seconds, he slowly breaks the kiss and stares at her with anticipation.

For a moment, it seems like nothing happened, but then the queen's eyes become saturated until they shine ocean blue once again. Ash sighs and lowers his head in relief until he suddenly feels Serena's right hand lift his head up by his chin to show her smiling brightly with tears in her eyes.

"So do I, Ash," she says with pure sweetness in her voice.

Without another word, the queen pulls her faithful esquire toward her and smashes her lips together with his.


	7. Chapter 7

Everyone in the chapel is speechless at the display. Even Ash has his eyes widened and his face red all over as Queen Serena passionately locks her lips with his. Serena lets out a soft moan of pleasure before she slowly breaks the kiss and gives Ash another sweet look before she suddenly wraps her arms around him and begins kissing him all over his face.

"Oh, Ash. Oh, my wonderful, wonderful, Ash," she says happily as she kisses him with each word.

Brock is as shocked as Ash of their queen's affectionate display for a moment before he smirks and shakes his head in amusement.

"Well, what do you know?" He whispers to himself.

"No!" Madame Venus screeches. "It's just as I feared! That accursed brat has undone my beautiful spell! Calem, destroy th -"

Madame Venus' voice dies in her throat, however, when she turns to Calem and her eyes widen in fear. For she sees in the eyes of her brother that the giant is starting to grow into an uncontrollable fit of rage with every kiss and sweet word of affection that Queen Serena displays on her faithful esquire. Calem begins to growl angrily as he suddenly starts to grow taller to the point that his clothes rip until he is wearing nothing but his shirt and undergarment. His fang-like teeth become as long as spears and his already long claw-like fingernails double in size as he gets ready to pounce on Ash, Brock, and their beloved Queen.

"Ash! Your Highness! Run!" Brock screams.

Ash and Serena break from their moment just in time to realize what's going on and quickly dodge Calem's giant fist from squishing them. Without hesitation, Ash grabs Serena's hand and together, the two of them and Brock run out of the chapel as fast as they can. It isn't long, however, before the giant bursts through the chapel entrance and starts chasing after them.

"Great, as if he wasn't deadly enough without getting bigger," Brock complains.

"Just keep running!" Serena screams.

It isn't long, however, before Calem begins smashing on the ground, breaking the castle stone floor once again and begins throwing the rubble at his enemies. Ash, Serena, and Brock manage to dodge them as quickly as they can before they make a sharp turn to another hall that leads to a long set of stairs. The three humans try to go down the steps as fast as they can, but Calem barges in and starts coming down the steps several at a time.

"Don't look back, Your Highness, just keep running!" Ash screams as he continues to lead Serena down the staircase.

Finally, Ash, Serena, and Brock make it to the bottom of the steps and make their way to the main hall. Before long, however, before Calem bursts in and with a loud roar jumps to squish them with his entire body.

"Jump!" Serena screams.

The three of them jump away just in time to miss Calem's body. The giant then slides across the floor until he crashes head first into a wall and is knocked out unconscious. Ash grabs Serena's hand again as he and Brock lead her out of the main hall and keep running until they make it to the bottom floor of the castle underground where a series of water wells are left empty and unused. Ash, Serena, and Brock quietly climb into one of the wells until they reach the bottom and sit on the hard floor to catch their breaths. It takes a couple of moments before they stop panting in exhaustion before Brock speaks.

"Well, we should be safe here," he says. "I say we wait a while before we try to reunite with the others."

"Others, Captain Brock?" Serena asks. "You mean Holly, and General Wulfric and Cilan and everyone else who was captured with me? Please tell me they are alright."

Brock chuckles lightly, having heard someone call him captain for the first time in a long time before he says, "They're alright, Your Highness. They just have been turned into mice. We were hoping you can help us figure out a way to defeat Madame Venus so that they can be human again."

Serena sighs in relief.

"Yes, I will be more than happy to do so," she says before turning to Ash with a serious look. "But since we're going to stay hidden here for a while, there is something very important I must tell you, Ash."

Ash feels his cheeks heating up again as the queen gives him another sweet look while walking over to him.

"Now, Your Majesty?" He asks bashfully.

"Yes now," Serena answers before giving Ash another serious look. "And for heaven sakes, stop calling me that."

"Sorry, Your Highness, it's just that now might not be the best time for whatever you have to say when -"

"Ash!" Serena yells sharply. "I've been waiting several years to say what I want to say and I've had enough delays because of my father's stupid laws and getting kidnapped on my birthday. If you deeply love me with all your heart, you will wholeheartedly put your arms around me right now, listen to what I have to say and never ever call me 'Queen Serena,' 'Your Highness,' 'Your Majesty' or any other formal name related to my royal title again for as long as you live!"

Ash and Brock stare at Serena, taken aback by her outburst. Ash doesn't know what to think of what she said, but he knows in his heart he wouldn't dare deny to her that he deeply loves her. Without a word, he quickly obeys his beloved queen by walking over to her and pulling her into a tight embrace. His face turns red again as he hears the honey blonde woman let out a long, blissful sigh as she lays her head against his and squeezes him back.

"Finally," she whispers.

Ash doesn't know what to make of this. He turns to Brock who merely shrugs in response before Serena pulls her head back to look at the raven-haired man with another sweet look.

"Now, about that important thing," she says. "It involves what I was announcing on my birthday before all of this happened. Do you remember?"

Ash frowns slightly as he nods and says, "Yeah, you were going to propose to someone regardless of their title."

"And do you know who that someone is?" Serena asks.

Ash shakes his head.

"I thought not," Serena says before she puts her hands on both sides of Ash's face and says, "That someone is you."

Ash and Brock's eyes widen in shock as they try to contemplate what the queen just said.

"W-w-w-what?" Ash asks.

"You heard me," Serena says firmly. "Ash, I love you with everything I am and I want you to marry me."

Ash freezes in place. He feels his heart skip a beat, his face turning redder than ever and dozens of butterflies fly in his stomach.

"You...you love me?" He manages to say. "H-how...how long have you felt this way?"

"About as long as you have," Serena says sincerely with a smile on her face.

"You mean you...you…" Ash stammers making Serena giggle.

"I know I'm not the only person to say that you were never subtle about your feelings for me, Ash," she says before her smile falters and she looks away from him. "I confess I succeeded a little too much in hiding my own feelings and I'm really sorry about that. But I knew that I had to hide my feelings from my father throughout our teenage years. It was hard enough hiding our friendship, but if he ever found out how much you really mean to me, he would have sent you far away and I would never get to see you again. I was already dreading being forced to marry another man, but if I could never see your face or hear your voice again even for just a moment that would have destroyed me. That's why I prayed that The Lord would provide me with the chance to become Queen of Kalos without needing to marry a prince. Not only did I want to control my destiny by ruling the kingdom on my own and abolish many of my father's retched laws like I always wanted to, but I wanted to control who I marry no matter their title or their heritage because there was only one person in the world that I would want to spend the rest of my life with and that's you."

Ash feels his heart beginning to melt with this information.

"So...that's why you wanted to propose on your birthday?" He asks.

"Yes, Ash," Serena says as she turns her head back to face Ash again and smiles while caressing his cheek. "As much as I wanted to confess my feelings and make you mine as soon as I was crowned, I had much to do as queen for our country in order to prove that any law I make would have staying power including the one that secures that I can marry anyone I want. Also, it was all too clear that even after repeatedly telling you not to address me so formally before and after becoming queen that I needed to make up for hiding my feelings for so long and express how much I want to spend the rest of my life with you in one major move. So I decided to take advantage that virtually every soul in Kalos was coming to the festival on my birthday and make an announcement that I will be proposing to someone that I deeply love and wish to marry no matter who or what they are. Had Madame Venus not kidnapped me for her cruel plans, I would have summoned you to stand next to me at the balcony where I would declare my love for you and ask for your hand in marriage for the entire kingdom to see."

"So that's why you told Ash that you were so pleased to see him come on your birthday and that you were hoping that he would take what you were going to say to heart," Brock says in realization earning a happy nod from Serena.

Ash himself is touched beyond words, but then he frowns and says, "But Serena, if we marry I would become king and I don't think I can handle the responsibility of ruling a kingdom like you do."

"And who says you have to?" Serena challenges. "Under my new law, you won't have to be anything you don't want to be. If you wish to still train to become a knight, you can. If you want to rule by my side as king, I will help you learn how to so that we can rule the land together. But whether you are by my side as an esquire, a knight, a king or even a stable boy, I want you by my side regardless as my beloved husband for the rest of our lives."

Ash stares at her dumbfounded by her statement.

"You...you really feel that way?" He asks.

"More than anything," Serena says as she puts both her hands on the side of his face again. "Ash, I'm not asking this as your queen but as a woman who has loved everything about you from your kind and noble heart to your determination to listen and be there for me ever since we were twelve years old. But I would feel like the queen of the world if we can be together forever as husband and wife. So please, Ash. Please marry me."

Ash stands there in shock with his arms still around the honey blonde queen. He can see the sincerity and desperation clear in Serena's eyes as if it's another way to plead with him to say yes. Everything he thought he knew about Serena's feelings for him seems to have jumped out the window with the woman he loves suddenly offering him everything he ever wanted. He begins to smile knowing deep in his heart that nothing could stop him from giving Serena the right answer.

"Serena…" Ash says before he takes a deep breath and lets it out. "I love you too and nothing would give me greater joy or honor than to be your husband."

At that moment, Serena's ocean blue eyes glow with joy.

"Oh Ash," She says softly with tears in her eyes before she leans in for a passionate kiss. This time, Ash doesn't hesitate to return the affection as he tightens his grip on her to deepen the kiss. Brock smiles as he watches his friend and his queen passionately press their lips against each other with all their hearts before they reluctantly separate due to lack of air and Serena begins kissing Ash all over his face again.

"You seem to be a little addicted to kissing my face," Ash teases.

"And you better get used to it, my husband-to-be, because I got several years of passion built up," Serena says with a flirtatious grin.

Ash blushes again and makes a goofy smile and says, "Funny, I guess I could say the same thing to you."

The engaged couple begin laughing in both amusement and joy as they happily hold each other. Unfortunately, their moment is interrupted when they hear a growl from the top of the well. Ash, Serena, and Brock freeze before they look up to see Calem looking at them from the top of the well infuriated from hearing everything that transpired between the queen and her beloved esquire. The giant roars as he reaches down and barely misses grabbing Ash and Serena. Then out of reckless anger, Calem jumps in trying to reach his targets only to end up stuck and unable to move anything but his head. Ash, Serena, and Brock look at the display and feel helpless until Brock sees an opening behind Calem's back to climb out of the well.

"This way," he orders as he, Ash, and Serena begin climbing out of the well with Calem helpless to stop them from climbing past him and exit the room.

"Hope that will hold him off this time," Ash says as he and Serena follow Brock out of the room holding hands again.

The three of them continue to run down the halls until they see the mice waiting for them with the harp. Holly squeals with joy before running over to Brock who picks her up and holds his hand to his face so that she can hug him again. Serena looks at them confused until Ash turns to her.

"That mouse is Holly," he explains.

"Oh," Serena says.

The other mice notice that their queen is back and is free from her magic spell. They squeak and jump for joy as they run over to her with General Wulfric and Cilan standing in front.

"General Wulfric? Cilan? Is that you?" Serena asks as she recognizes their clothes.

The fat mouse and the skinny mouse nod yes. The queen smiles, gets down on her knees and picks up the two mice.

"Oh it's great to see you two again," she says happily before she frowns and turns to Ash and Brock. "Didn't you say that we must defeat Madame Venus in order to free them from her spell?"

"That's right," Brock says before turning to the harp. "Harp, is there any sort of weakness that Madame Venus has?"

But before the harp can answer. An evil cackle is heard echoing over the hall. Everyone gasps to see Madame Venus standing on the other side of the hall. Ash and Brock draw their swords and stand in from of Serena, the harp, and the mice.

"You take one step closer to her and I'll make sure you regret it," Ash growls earning another sweet look from Serena.

"And who says I have to take a step toward any of you?" Madame Venus asks with a mischievous grin.

Without another word, the area around then suddenly fades until Madame Venus, Ash, Serena, Brock, the harp and the mice are standing on a flat, thin platform above an endless void. The group huddles together in fear as loud bolts of lightning appear all around them.

"I grow tired of you and that accursed esquire, Queen Serena," Madame Venus growls. "I should have gotten rid of your precious Ash that you were raving about before you were under my spell when I had the chance."

Ash stops quivering in fear for a moment to look at Serena.

"Wait, so when the harp said you were constantly going on about someone else when they tried to convince you to marry Calem willingly, you were talking about me?" he asks.

Serena gives him a loving look and kisses his hand that is not holding his sword.

"Always," she says.

Ash gives her a loving look back before they feel the thin platform begin to tilt back and forth. Ash, Serena, Brock, the harp and the mice struggle to stay on while Madame venus stands perfectly still.

"Mistress, no!" the harp begs. "You wouldn't get rid of me, would you?"

"Your doom awaits all of you," Madame Venus snarls, clearly ignoring the harp's pleas. "You have defied my evil ambitions for the very last time. Feel my power!"

Everyone panics as they are sliding back and forth as the platform begins tilting violently. Brock holds on to Holly as best as possible while Ash and Serena hold on to each other. Suddenly, the platform becomes even again and everyone wonders why Madame Venus stopped until Calem appears out of nowhere standing in the middle of the platform.

"There you are, you brainless ogre! What took you so long?!" Madame Venus rebukes. "Finish the job and trample them!"

The giant grins mischievously as he raises his foot to trample Ash, Serena, Brock, the harp, and the mice with his giant foot. Brock gets ready to try to protect Holly in vain while Ash and Serena keep holding on to each other tightly. But suddenly, Calem puts his foot down and turns around to walk towards Madame Venus who becomes instantly afraid.

"What's the matter with you, you fool? I said destroy them!" she shouts with her voice cracking while everyone else is confused.

" I don't understand," Ash says. "Why is he turning to her and not squishing us?"

"Because Calem hates his sister more," the harp answers. "Madame Venus has known all their lives that if Calem were to become so angry that he would grow into a greater size than he was before, he would have the chance to do away with his sister after controlling his life and insulting him since they were children. As angry as he is with all of you spoiling his chance to marry a beautiful woman like Queen Serena for heartless purposes, he would never pass up the chance to finally squish his own sister."

Everyone looks at the harp in alarm before they turn to their enemies where the wicked woman is beginning to quiver in fear in front of her giant brother. Madame Venus raises her hands up in defense as Calem lifts his foot towards her.

"Goodbye," he bellows before he slams his foot right on his sister.

Ash, Serena, Brock and the mice look away as they hear Madame Venus let out a deathly scream. They dare to look back just in time to see black smoke emerge from under Calem's foot. The smoke begins to grow rapidly until it reaches the ceiling as Calem moves back and coughs violently.

Suddenly, Ash, Serena, and Brock hear a loud pop and they turn around to see one of the Kalos counselors appear where one of the mice use to be. Then with another pop, they see one of the mice turn into another counselor. Then with several more pops, several of the counselors and a few handmaidens appear and realize that they are human again. Ash, Serena, and Brock then turn to the fat mouse and the skinny mouse before two loud pops are heard and General Wulfric and Cilan are suddenly human again.

"I...I'm human?" Cilan asks in shock before he starts happily jumping for joy. "I'm human!"

"Madame Venus' spell is broken. We're free!" General Wulfric shouts as he joyfully dances with Cilan.

Ash, Serena, and Brock smile at the sight before they turn to Holly who is still standing on Brock's hand as a mouse. Then, one last pop is heard and a familiar woman with auburn hair falls right onto Brock's lap. The woman gasps lightly as she touches her nose and looks at her hair before turning to Brock with happy tears in her eyes.

"Holly!" Brock shouts as he begins to shed his own tears.

"Brock!" Holly screams before putting her hands on both sides of her fiance's face and pulls him into a fierce kiss. The tall man doesn't hesitate to wrap his arms around Holly's waist and pull her closer to her to deepen the kiss while Ash and Serena look at each other happily.

"Everyone is free," Ash says as the two of them stand up.

"Free at last," Serena says in agreement as she pulls her own fiance into a tight hug.

Their happy moment is short-lived, however, when they feel the ground rumbling violently. They turn to see the black cloud continue to grow and fill up the hall.

"What's going on?" Serena asks.

"Madame Venus' magic is being lifted from the castle," The Harp says.

"What does that mean?" Brock asks.

"I'm not sure," The Harp says honestly. "There's no telling what's going to happen when that black cloud covers the entire castle grounds."

Everyone looks at each other worryingly.

"Then we need to get out of here," Ash says. "Everyone run to the beanstalk!"

"To where?" General Wulfric asks confused.

"It's how Ash and I got here," Brock explains. "We'll tell the whole story later. Right now we need to get outside and head to the bottomless well."

Everyone nods in understanding before they all begin running to the front entrance of the castle led by Ash, Serena, Brock, and Holly. It isn't long as they exit the castle, however, that they hear a loud roar echoing the halls indicating that Calem is not far behind.

"Aw, for heaven sakes, will that brute just give up already," Brock groans in annoyance.

"Don't think about him, just hurry!" Ash yells.

The entire group runs as fast as they can until they make it to the bottomless well. Ash and Brock order people to climb down one by one down the well and then the beanstalk. Once all the counselors and handmaidens have started climbing down, General Wulfric and Cilan climb down next before Brock turns to Holly.

"Alright, Holly, it's your turn," he says.

Holly hesitates as she suddenly hugs Brock's arm.

"I don't know if I can climb there by myself," she whimpers.

Brock sighs and says, "Then hop on my back and we'll climb down together."

Holly's fear instantly melts away as she nods and quickly hops on Brock's back. The auburn haired woman kisses her beloved on the cheek making Brock smile back before he begins climbing down with his fiance holding on to him. Ash and Serena smile and get ready to follow everyone until Calem suddenly bursts out of the castle and glares at them with a desire for blood. Ash frowns as it seems clear that there's almost no stopping the giant and so gets an idea.

"Serena, go on ahead of me," he says drawing his sword. "I'm going to distract him."

"Absolutely not!" Serena yells. "We're going to stay together."

"He wants to kill me more than anyone else," Ash says. "If I can injure him good enough, I can stop him from coming down to Kalos with us."

"But your sword can do nothing against him," she counters. "You won't even make him bleed.

"Well, what else can we do?" he asks.

Serena starts scratching her chin in thought before she notices some of the rubble that's still around in the courtyard from when Calem was chasing Ash and Brock last night. She snaps her fingers before leaning into her fiance's ear and Ash listens intently before he nods in understanding.

"I think that will work," he says. "But do you think you will be able to time it right?"

"If Calem is as predictable as I think he is, he will do exactly as I think he will as long as you hold your end of the plan and do not get yourself killed in the process," Serena says confidently.

"Alright, then it sounds like a plan," Ash says determinedly.

Serena smiles and nods in approval before she grabs her fiance by his shirt and pulls him in for a firm kiss. When they part, Serena strokes his cheek affectionately and says, "I'll be waiting to finish that afterward."

"That makes both of us, my wife-to-be," Ash says with his own smile as he strokes Serena's cheek back before the giant roars again chasing after them and Serena climbs into the well to carry out their plan. Ash takes a fighting stance as he runs away from the well and waves his sword over his head.

"Hey!" He shouts. "Hey, peabrain! Over here! I hear that you're so dumb that just one unintelligent moan from you would stop a clock!"

Calem turns away from the well and gives Ash an angry glare. He charges after him, but at the last second, Ash runs forward until he's under Calem and cuts his left leg. The sword does no more than scratch the skin, but it is enough for Calem to let out an irritated yell as he bends down trying to reach the raven-haired man only for Ash to step back until he's standing behind Calem and stabs him in the rear. Calem yelps in a high-pitched voice and becomes even more enraged as he smashes the ground and starts picking up rubble to throw at Ash. Once again, the giant is throwing slowly enough that Ash can dodge the large pieces of rubble, but in the process of dodging, Ash loses his footing and trips on the hard stone floor scraping his knee.

Ash winces in pain and Calem chuckles evilly as he finds another giant boulder and lifts it up to his head before slowly walking over to Ash in anticipation. Ash holds his hands up in defense, but unknown to his opponent, he is pretending to be afraid.

As Calem gets ready to throw the boulder, a small rock flies behind him and hits him in the back of his head. He makes a confused face before he turns his head to see Serena back from the well and holding a stone as big as her hands.

"Get away from my Ash!" she yells angrily.

Once again, Calem roars in anger and turns around to face the queen. Serena holds her rock in anticipation until Calem lifts his boulder up and she throws her rock at him hitting him right on the forehead. The giant stands there dazed and confused from the impact and unwittingly drops his boulder which falls right on top of his head and breaks into tiny pieces. Calem groans in pain before falling down to the ground with his hands on top of his head and Ash and Serena run over to the well and finish their kiss before looking at each other lovingly with pride.

"Nothing like a little future husband and wife teamwork," Ash says with a toothy grin.

"Hmmm, I love the sound of that," Serena says with a dreamy smile before she notices the black smoke covering the castle and becomes serious again. "Now let's get out of here."

Ash nods in agreement and so the queen and her esquire climb into the well and climb all the way down to the beanstalk. They climb down as fast as they can, struggling not to completely look down as they pass the clouds and see the ground far below. It takes a while before they finally are only a few stories away from the ground where Brock, Holly, General Wulfric, the harp, Cilan, the counselors, and the handmaidens are all waiting for them.

"We're almost there, Serena," Ash says with a smile. "Just a little further!"

Serena smiles back as the two of them climb down, but as they do, they hear a faint roar coming from high above. They gasp as they look up and barely see Calem climbing down after them.

"Oh no. How are we going to stop him now?" Serena asks worryingly.

Ash frowns before he gets an idea and looks down to face Brock.

"Brock, get the axes!" he shouts. "We need to cut down the beanstalk quick!"

Brock nods in understanding and runs into the barn. Serena and Ash make it down just in time to see Brock come back carrying several axes. Ash, Serena, Cilan, General Wulfric and some of the counselors all grab an ax until Brock only has one left for himself and together they begins chopping on the beanstalk. Calem's faint roars from above make everyone eager to cut it down as fast as the can. Finally, they make it to the center of the stalk and Ash and Serena look at each other determinedly.

"I think one good swing ought to do it," Ash says. "Together on three?"

"Ready when you are, my beloved," Serena replies.

Ash blushes lightly at the name much to his fiancee's amusement before he shakes his head and raises his ax.

"One," he says.

"Two," Serena says raising her ax.

"Three!" they say simultaneously as they both swing at the center of the beanstalk.

The two axes hit their target and the beanstalk begins to break. It's supports begin to snap and break apart violently, causing it to sway back and forth. Everyone runs as far away from the beanstalk as they can while Calem struggles to hold on. The giant whimpers fearfully as he keeps a firm hold on the beanstalk with all of his might, but it isn't long before the beanstalk sways so much that he loses his grip. Calem hangs in the air and tries to grab the beanstalk again for a moment, but soon finds himself falling to his doom.

Ash, Serena, Brock, Holly, General Wulfric, Cilan, the handmaidens and the counselors drop for cover as the evil giant screams in fear before plummeting to the ground with a loud crash.


	8. Chapter 8

For a few minutes, silence overtakes everyone. Eventually, Ash, Serena, Holly, Brock, General Wulfric, and Cilan slowly get up before everyone else does. They look around to see the beanstalk completely gone and far in the countryside, Calem lies on the ground lifeless. Serena lets out a sigh before she turns to Ash and pulls him into a tight hug while laying her head on his shoulder.

"It's finally over," she says in relief.

"Yes, Serena," Ash says as he hugs the woman he loves and pets her head gently. "We won."

Instantly, General Wulfric, Cilan, the handmaidens and the counselors let out a deafening cheer as they jump and dance together in celebration. Brock and Holly laugh happily as the tall man lifts the auburn-haired woman up and spins her around before putting her down so that they can kiss passionately. Even Ash and Serena pull their heads back to look at each other with their eyes full of love before they lean in for a tender kiss.

"I love you, my beloved hero," Serena says.

"I love you too, my beauteous queen," Ash says while caressing Serena's cheek. "There will never be a day where I will stop loving you."

Serena's ocean blue eye glimmer with joy once more and the two of them lean in for a deeper kiss until…

"Ash! Brock!"

Everyone stops celebrating to see Iris running towards them with a frantic look while carrying Maynor on her back with a back pouch. Ash and Brock smile as they see their friend run over to them.

"Are you guys alright?" She asks worryingly. "I was coming come from the market with Maynor and saw the beanstalk break apart and someone falling off it and -"

Suddenly, Iris' voice dies in her throat when she sees a familiar honey blonde woman with her arms around her raven-haired friend. The purple-haired woman's eyes widen in shock as Serena gives her a warm smile.

"Y-y-your Majesty?!" Iris asks frantically.

"Hello, Iris," Serena says happily. "It's wonderful to see you again."

"B-b-b-but if you're here then...then…" Iris says before she loses her voice and turns around to see Holly giving her a friendly smile while she and Brock are still in each other's arms and General Wulfric giving her a smirk. But the purple-haired woman stops turning when she sees a skinny man with green hair staring at her intently. The married couple stand still for a moment before Iris' eyes start to water and her mouth quivers uncontrollably. She whimpers as she slowly moves her legs toward her husband.

"Ci...Ci-c-c-ci-Cilan?" She manages to say.

Cilan's eyes light up and a smile forms on his face as he runs over to his wife. By the time they are only a couple feet away, Iris' legs give in and Cilan catches her in time leaving them in kneeling position as Iris begins crying hysterically on Cilan's chest while grabbing him by the shirt with both hands.

"CILA-HA-HA-HA-HA-HAN!" Iris wails as she holds on to her husband who wraps his arms around her and lays his head on top of hers, struggling not to cry himself.

"I-Iris," he manages to say back as he holds on to his emotional wife.

Eventually, Iris lifts her head to look upon Cilan for a moment and pulls him in for a kiss by his shirt. As soon as they part, the purple-haired woman suddenly wraps her arms around her husband's neck and pulls his head down to her height before smothering his face with kisses all over his face. When she finishes, she stares at Cilan with a pleading look in her eyes.

"Tell me this isn't a dream," she whimpers. "Please tell me you really are here and I'm not going to wake up and realize that you're still dead."

Cilan smiles as he looks deep into Iris' eyes that are already red from her tears.

"As surely as The Lord lives, my dear Iris, this is no dream," he says caressing her cheek. "I am very much alive and you will never see another day without me for as long as we live."

Iris smiles and looks like she's getting ready to cry again.

"Oh Cilan!" she says while squeezing her husband's head affectionately. "My Cilan!"

Cilan smiles and hugs his wife back. The moment is soon interrupted, however, when a soft coo is heard from behind Iris.

"Uh… is there a baby around here?" Cilan asks confused.

Iris suddenly remembers that Maynor is still on her back pouch and smiles brightly as she releases Cilan from her possessive headlock. Ash and Brock smile at each other knowing what's about to happen as Iris takes off her pouch, picks up the child and holds it in front of her husband.

"Cilan, this is your son," she says proudly before turning to look at the thirteen-month-old boy. "Maynor, this is your papa."

All eyes are on Cilian who stares at Maynor in shock. The minstrel would instantly doubt that what his wife said is true were it not for the toddler unmistakably having Cilian's shining green hair and eyes and Iris' dark skin. Iris hands Maynor to his father who slowly stands up with his eyes never leaving the little boy.

"I...I...I have a boy," Cilian manages to say before turning to Iris. "I have a boy."

Iris' smile grows as she quickly stands up and nods.

"Yes," she says. "Yes, you have a boy."

Cilan begins to chuckle in disbelief before he begins to happily laugh out loud, lift Maynor up and spin in joy.

"I have a son!" He yells. "I have a son! I have a little boy! I'm a papa! I'm a papa!"

Maynor laughs along with his father, amused by his little ride before Cilan lowers his son and turns to everyone excitedly.

"Everyone, I'm a father!" he exclaims hysterically! "I've had a son the entire time we were captured and now I finally got to meet him! Your Highness, I'm a daddy!"

"Yes, Cilan, I can see that you're a daddy," Serena says giggling at her minstrel's enthusiasm.

Cilan continues to laugh with glee before he turns to Iris and gives her a sad smile.

"Oh my darling," he says walking over to her and stroking her cheek with his free hand. "I'm so sorry I was not there for you when you -"

"Stop it, Cilan," Iris says as she hugs the arm that is caressing her cheek. "You're here now and we have so much of our little Maynor's life ahead of us."

Cilan smiles at his wife and they lean in for another kiss. Ash and Serena smile at each other, happy to have witnessed their reunion.

"Hey, look over there!" A handmaiden suddenly says pointing in the opposite direction from everyone.

The whole group turns around in confusion until they look down the hill and to their surprise see Lumiose Castle standing tall and proud in its original spot in Lumiose City. They all look in amazement as the harp who is being held by one of the counselors gasps in surprise.

"I don't believe what I am seeing," it says. "The castle is brought back to its original place. It's as if Madame Venus and Calem never did anything with it."

The people cheer in joy to see the castle back in its rightful place. Serena smiles at the sight while Ash holds her from behind.

"After almost two years of being trapped in my own castle, it can finally be home again...our home," she says softly so that only Ash can hear her.

"I know," Ash says before he kisses Serena's shoulder.

Serena smiles with her eyes closed at the feel of her future husband's lips before she opens them and frowns noticing the many houses boarded up in the city.

"Why are many of the houses boarded up and abandoned?" She asks worryingly.

Ash frowns remembering the way things have been since the day of Serena's disappearance.

"Much has happened to our kingdom since you left," he says. "The country has all but collapsed without you."

The Queen frowns sadly, heartbroken to hear what has become of her kingdom. Ash frowns knowing what is on her mind before he gets an idea.

"Hey, harp, is it possible that all that giant gold and jewelry where we found you still in the treasury?" He asks.

"I do not see why they wouldn't, as there was no spell or any other sort of magic that would have kept them from being taken down here with the castle," the harp answers. "And if you're thinking what I think you're thinking, then yes, that gold will be more than enough to fix up your kingdom and bring back your people."

Serena's eyes light up and she turns around to face Ash.

"That's right," she says excitedly. "They brought their wealth to the castle. Ash, you're brilliant!"

Ash blushes lightly as Serena plants a firm kiss on his cheek. She hugs him tightly while everyone else smiles before they begin running towards the castle, excited to enter it in its rightful spot. The Queen and her esquire stay behind as Ash hugs Serena back and admire the view of their castle in its proper spot.

"So…" Ash begins. "When are you thinking we should get married?"

Serena beams before she lays her head on his shoulder and sighs.

"Under better circumstances with our kingdom, I would have it that we get married in two months just in time for my next birthday," she says. "Alas, I think it's best to wait until Kalos is back in order with all of its people back before we can have the grand wedding that I've always wanted us to have."

Ash nods in understanding as he strokes Serena's honey blonde hair.

"Well, we waited this long to be together," he says. "I think I can survive to wait a little while longer to be married as long as you stay by my side."

Serena smiles as she squeezes the raven-haired man and closes her eyes in bliss.

"I wouldn't want it any other way, my dearest Ash," she says softly. "No other way at all."

That night, Calem's body was burned since there was to way to properly bury him before he began to decay. Meanwhile, Brock and Holly were not as willing to wait as Ash and Serena are to be bonded in holy matrimony. The day after the group properly settled back into the castle, the long engaged couple found the nearest available church to have a small wedding. It wasn't long after that, that Holly was found to be with child much to the newlyweds' indescribable joy. Cilan was quick to learn the ropes of being a parent devotedly with Iris and together they became blissfully happy with Maynor and Iris found herself to be pregnant again not long after Holly did.

True to Ash and the harp's predictions, all the wealth that Madame Venus and Calem brought to the castle is still there and they began to use a mere fraction of it to spread the news to all Kalosians who left that Queen Serena is alive and they can return to their home kingdom. Many were hesitant, but when the others who stayed traveled with the messenger to testify that their beloved queen is alive, those who left happily hopped on ships funded by Her Majesty herself to return to their homes and aided her in bringing their country back to its former glory. Within months, all the people of Kalos have returned to their homeland and Kalos has started to become more prosperous than before with the Queen's newfound wealth.

Thus the time came for the announcement of the grand wedding of Queen Serena and her newly appointed knight, Sir Ash. The people were thrilled to learn that their queen is going to be united with the man she loves. And so on the ides of October, the day finally came for Serena and Ash to marry.

Ash struggles to stay still as he stands by the altar with a priest standing at the center and Brock standing next to him as his best man. The chapel is jam-packed with people as they are waiting for the ceremony to begin.

"Ash, calm down," Brock says chuckling in amusement.

"I can't," Ash whines childishly. "I feel so nervous and yet so eager at the same time."

Brock smirks and shakes his head before he pats Ash on the back.

"Don't worry, buddy," he says. "Once it starts everything will fall into place. Take it from a married man."

"What are you talking about?" Ash rebukes. "You didn't have to wait to see Holly walk down the aisle at all. You two just waited until the priest came back with his bible and you two were married within five minutes."

Brock chuckles nervously, knowing that his friend is right. Then he turns to Holly who is sitting at the front row with General Wulfric, Cilan, Maynor, and Iris, both woman having large bellies to show how far they are in their pregnancies. The tall man blows a kiss to his wife who flirtatiously returns the favor. Ash shakes his head in amusement before he finds his heart leaping at the sound of the organ piano playing and everyone in the audience standing up and turning to the other side of the chapel.

As the organ piano plays the wedding march, three little girls dressed in pink dresses walk down the aisle dropping flower petals on the floor. Then, Serena comes in wearing an extravagant wedding dress and a large veil over her head covering her face. Even though Ash can't see her blue eyes through the veil as she walks down the aisle, Ash begins to feel calm knowing that his bride is here at last. When she makes it to the altar, Ash lifts her veil to show Serena beaming with happiness before they turn around to face the priest. After the song ends, the audience sits down and the priest begins his speech.

Much of what the priest says during the first couple of minutes is a blur for Ash. All he paid attention to was hearing the priest talk about how wonderful it is to have people in love purely bonded in holy matrimony as The Lord intended. Finally, the priest turns to him and asks if he takes Serena to be his wife and with a toothy grin he answers, "I do." Then the priest turns to Serena asking if she takes Ash to be her husband and she turns to Ash with love glowing in her eyes and says, "I do." Ash's heart leaps at the sound of those two words before the priest calls for everyone to bow their heads for a prayer and once he finishes it, he looks at the bride and the groom with a sincere smile.

"By the power invested in me and in the name of The Father, and The Son, and the Holy Spirit, I now pronounce you husband and wife," he announces before saying to Ash, "You may kiss your bride."

Even after having many kisses with the woman he deeply loves since the day of Madame Venus and Calem's defeat, Ash feels butterflies in his stomach knowing this will be his first time with Serena as his wife. Nevertheless, he takes a step closer to his honey blonde bride and caresses her cheek lovingly with his eyes glued to hers before he leans in for the kiss.

The audience cheers with thunderous applause as Serena wraps her arms around her husband to deepen their kiss. When they part, they stare at each other's eyes once more before they embrace with all their might with Serena laughing loudly in joy. They then walk down the aisle with Serena holding Ash's arm and make their way to the nearest balcony were thousands of Kalos citizens are waiting outside to scream and shout with joy. The queen and her husband happily wave to their subjects as trumpets are sounded and people are waving Kalos flags and banners and fireworks are exploding high over Lumiose Castle.

"Look at all of them cheering for you," Ash says smiling at his wife.

"No, they're cheering for us," Serena corrects. "Don't forget that they know what you have done to bring me, Holly, Cilan, General Wulfric and the others back to our home and they know how much you love me. They are just as happy that I am yours now as they are that you are finally mine."

Ash smiles as he and Serena turn around and happily kiss in front if their people. The crowd cheers even louder at the sight of the newlyweds' affection.

Eventually, the sun starts set and the wedding feast begins. People are dancing in merriment to the music played by a group of minstrels led by Cilan. Ash and Serena are at their table watching as Ash stuffs himself with food much to his wife's amusement. Brock and Holly dance carefully in a spot away from the other people dancing knowing that Holly cannot move much so far into her pregnancy. Despite that, the two are happy to dance together for their friends while occasionally looking down at Holly's belly and smile, excited to see their child. Eventually, Cilan told his band to take over so that can teach Maynor to dance as best as a father can teach an almost two-year-old boy. Iris watches and encourages her son while her hand is on her pregnant belly and her mind is also excited to meet her second child together with her husband.

After an hour or so of people dancing while Ash, and Serena, and some of the other people feast, Serena stands up and claps her hands for attention.

"Alright everyone," she begins. "Before the festivities can continue, I would like for you to be seated as I have my first dance with my husband."

Ash who has just finished eating a large slice of pie turns to his bride in surprise. He chuckles nervously before he wipes his face with a napkin and follows Serena to the dance floor. Before they get into dancing positions, however, Serena turns to their audience and clears her throat.

"I would like for the minstrels to hold their music for this occasion," she announces. "For you see, when Lumiose Castle was in the land of the clouds, it was also filled with a certain special form of magic where music can come out of thin air and people can gain the urge to sing. I bring this up because I have discovered over the past few months that some of that magic remains."

Ash, Brock, Holly, Cilan, Iris, General Wulfric, and everyone else look at their queen either confused or surprised before she continues.

"Thus, with the help of the magical harp that we brought with us, I have discovered a way to control it and use it for this occasion," Serena says before she turns to Ash and strokes his cheek with a sweet smile. "For as we dance, I want to sing a song to my husband that expresses how much he means to me no matter where he came from and what his title was or is now."

Ash's heart flutters at her kind words before Serena waves her hand and the soft sound of unknown musical instruments begin to emerge out of nowhere. Serena takes Ash's left hand and holds it up while putting her left hand on his shoulder. Ash smiles as he places his free hand on her waist and they slowly begin to dance to the rhythm of the song. Serena closes her eyes and takes a deep breath before she opens them and sings with her beautiful voice that her husband loves so much.

watch?v=mWCHDdd6pQ8

 _Here comes trouble_

 _No mistaking_

 _I'd know you anywhere_

 _I could sail to the ends of the ocean and_

 _Find you waiting there_

 _I've been searching and searching_

 _Near and far_

 _Searching and searching_

 _And there you are_

 _Our wishes share a star_

 _I choose you_

 _I choose you_

 _What else can I do?_

 _We're just too good together to part_

 _What we've shared from the start_

 _Feels like one beating heart_

 _I choose you_

 _I choose you_

 _Hello, stranger_

 _Don't I know you?_

 _Nice to see you_ my friend

 _Did we just scale the top of a mountain, and_

 _Fly back home again?_

 _I've been looking and looking_

 _High and low_

 _Looking and looking_

 _And...what d'ya know?_

 _Just like long ago_

 _I choose you_

 _I choose you_

 _What else can I do?_

 _We're just too good together to part_

 _What we've shared from the start_

 _Feels like one beating heart_

 _I choose you_

 _I choose you_

 _I choose you_

 _I choose you_

 _On to journeys anew_

 _With the wonderful friends that I've found_

 _As the planet spins around_

 _We're eternally bound_

 _I choose you_

 _I choose you_

Even though Serena finished singing, the music continues to play and thus the queen and her husband continue to dance for another minute or so. Ash's heart has fully melted by this point and when the music ends he and Serena stop dancing and he pulls her in for the most heartfelt and passionate kiss yet. Despite everyone clapping for the couple, he hears Serena softly moan in pleasure as she smiles, wraps her arms around him and kisses him back.

And so, the festivities continue with everyone dancing along with their queen and her knighted husband for another hour or so until night has fully fallen and everyone leaves to go to bed. Ash and Serena, however, return to the balcony to watch the moon shining brightly over their kingdom with Ash holding his beauteous wife from behind and she, in turn, strokes his face fondly.

"So, not that titles mean much like we agreed, but with only one of us as official royalty, what would that legally make our children?" He asks out if slight curiosity.

Serena giggles lightly and a soft blush appears on her cheeks at the thought of children before she answers.

"Probably princes and princesses since they still have royal blood," she says. "But they can be whatever they wish to be as they get older."

"Sounds perfect," Ash says before kissing Serena's cheek. "Though I like the idea of one becoming a king or queen as kind and wise as their mother."

Serena giggles again before turning her head to face her husband.

"And I'd love to see one become a knight as courageous and dashing as their father," she says. "I can even imagine all of them wanting to become knights at some point in their lives after hearing the story of their father rescuing their mother from an evil plot in the land of the clouds."

This time, it is Ash's turn to blush before he shakes it off and looks back at his wife.

"Whatever future lies ahead have, I can't wait to spend all of it with you," he says softly.

Serena's eyes glimmer as she wraps her arm around Ash's head.

"Neither can I, my darling," she says. "Neither can I."

With that, the two of them lean in for another kiss and they go back to looking at the moonlight for a little while longer before going inside. Unknown to either of them, the bearded man is hiding in the castle courtyard having watched them from his hiding place, writing on his book with a pleased grin.

"Well done, Sir Ash," he says as he closes the book. "Well done indeed."

Without another word, the bearded man sneaks out of the castle grounds and starts heading on his way knowing that raven-haired man, his loving wife, and their friends are going to live happily ever after.

The end.


End file.
